The Pierced one

Drac 2000

2012-01-25T22:02:00.002-06:00

I recently purchased Dracula II and Dracula III - both presented by Wes Craven who also directed/presented Dracula 2000.

Dracula 2000 I watched in the theatre on Christmas Eve years ago - mainly because I'm a Dracula fan, and also because Jonny Lee Miller is in it. It was filmed in New Orleans (which I had just been to) so I was in heaven!! I love that city and thought it was amazing.

Funny thing - I'm watching it and I realize that Nathan Fillion plays the priest. A VERY YOUNG Nathan Fillion. Long before Buffy, Firefly, The Waitress, or any of those shows.

what fun!

ciao,
krl

blank slate, new year

2012-01-18T21:24:00.003-06:00

The last post I made was in Aug of 2011. I can't believe I've let it slide since then. I had plans on finishing....no, writing my thesis for my Masters degree between then and now. That hasn't happened. Do I feel bad about it? Honestly, no. What I do feel bad about is all the people and times that I sad 'no' because I felt I needed to be home working on it. I would get home and get distracted and not work on it at all. That is what I feel bad about.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm not going to write it. I don't believe having a MA in Organizational Management is going to get me anywhere in my job, it certainly isn't going to help me audition and get to do more shows, it isn't going to bring me closer to my friends, nor will it find me love and romance. My life is not my thesis, or my job. I will write it and finish it because I need and want to - but I don't feel the pressure to do it. I'm not sure if that makes sense so let me try this.

My working on the thesis and my thoughts about it were holding me back from living my life. That is what I feel bad about. I have the education and the knowledge - writing a paper isn't going to change that, nor is the paper I'm going to write prove that I have the education and knowledge. It will prove that I'm able to research and put together a paper - that is all. Actually, it will also prove that I'm able to follow through on something in my personal life. THAT will be the end goal - not the degree.

so, because of that - I'm going to try to be back here a bit more. Share more of this great city I live in, and the friends in my life - my loves: books, music, film, etc. I hope you'll be there as well.

ciao,

krl

525,600 min

2011-08-12T20:49:00.002-05:00

How do you measure a year?

I can't believe a full year has gone by since I posted anything on here. I'm sorry that I haven't taken the time.

Give me a couple more weeks to finish my Master's Thesis and then I can start going through all the mail in my inbox that is linked to articles I want to read, etc, etc -

and I'm sure by then I'll be ready to share my life again...or maybe have a life to share ;-)

I hope you are all well -

ciao,

krl

wow

2010-08-12T20:06:00.002-05:00

I just finished writing about my Birthday Disc from 2007. I was about to start writing about the 2008 CD when i realized that I'm tired. Somehow, writing that took a lot out - trying to remember why I use certain songs, what I like about them, finding interesting links for me to post.

At some point, I hope that I'll be able to go back and edit these so that you the reader can download the songs while you are reading about my choices. Does anyone know of a way to do this legally? A friend of mine also has a music post and I think he links a lot of stuff to Amazon - but are all the songs on Amazon avail for download?

I guess it may be time to do a bit of research.

I'll be back...

ciao,
krl

Birthday 2007.2

2010-08-12T16:17:00.004-05:00

Birthday 07.2

2007 was a changing year for me. I was introduced to a lot of great music that year - so much that I couldn't really fit it all onto one disc. Because of that for my birthday that year, I made two discs.

For my birthday that year I gave out the first disc as party-favors. I like the idea of party-favors. Sure, it was my birthday and some people did bring some gifts. At the same time though, I like the idea of going to a party and having a great time with friends and STILL walking away with memories...and a little something-something. As with all of my discs, I don't spend the time making labels, or tracklists or such. I love the surprise element of a mix-disc. Not knowing what is going to be next, or such...the joy of hearing a song you've never heard, or hearing a song that you love but forgot all about.

so - the deal is this. Everyone who came to my birthday dinner at Spill The Wine that night walked away with a cd...2007, vol 1. Any one who emailed me with the tracklist would get a bonus disc.

This is the bonus disc:

1) In The End - Justin Bond & The Hungry March Band

2007 was the year that John Cameron Mitchell's movie "Shortbus" came out. I think that movie is an incredible work of art. While it certainly isn't a movie for everyone, I think a lot more people should see it. Justin Bond played a great role in "Shortbus" and ends the movie with this song. In the film it visually starts the same way the song starts - it starts with Justin lighting candles in a big loft, soft, people gathering, quiet. And as the song builds, the scene builds until suddenly this band is heard slowly walking into the loft. I got chills in the theatre when I first saw it, and I still find it a great scene. But here is the thing - I like the lyrics as well. I like that it starts with us all bearing scars. We do all bear scars - and there is a point that we all fall down and fail. This is one thing I really love about life. We are all so individual and unique...and yet we all have such similar lives and experiences. There is always some way that we can connect with each other - either by our successes, or our failures. (and it is written by Scott Matthew who I was introduced to via "Shortbus" - like Jay Brannan on the 07.1) note: plus, who doesn't like a big huge sing-a-long at the end of a song? Download from Amazon

2) A Song For Kids - Miho Hatori

Miho was one half of a great duo called Cibo Matto. I didn't really know Cibo Matto at all until I went to see them at First Ave. I think they opened for Soul Coughing, or some other band and I thought they were very cool. Two Japanese girls living in New York singing and rapping...how could you not love it? This is from a solo album by Miho - her first album - and it is in Japanese, it has some very traditional Japanese elements to it - and yet is modern. And as a bonus for me...it mentions Mt Fuji. Now, to be clear, my Japanese isn't as good as it should be to translate so - here is the translation:

My mom and I made a custard pudding like volcano
She went grocery shopping at 3, so I took a nap
I had a dream of a southern island, made of pudding
The beach was made of sugar, it's shining, so beautiful

Please don't think I am just dreaming because I am a kid
I am full of curiosities, piled like a mountain
I have so many words I want to unravel the meanings
That's much bigger than Mt. Fuji

I found a key to the dream island, I'll be back
i'll give you a code between us, it's secret
Only we know, even mom and dad don't know
I will find the place like this, when I become an adult

Please don't think i cry easily because I am just a kid
I know time will never go back for us
Right now is precious, right now is delicious
Enjoy the time we have, enjoy the time for now

I said hello to an old fisher man
"There are so many kinds of fish, why don't you count them?"
"One, two three..."
"I give you a fish, but you must choose only one"
"Even if you cry, you have one chance" "So think well"

Please don't think I cry easily because I am just a kid
I know time will never go back for us
Right now is precious, right now is delicious
Enjoy the time we have, enjoy the time for now

(purchase album from BN)

3) Wanderlust - Bjork

There is no artist out there like Bjork - so individual, so unique, and what a great instrument for a voice. I really like the flow from the track by Miho to Bjork to Andrew Bird. I'm excited every time Bjork comes out with something new - I'm always amazed and interested in what she is doing. Volta was no different - her voice, her lyrics, the fact that she duets with Antony - all reasons why this is such a great album. And this song is such a great track - relentlessly restless, wanderlust - I love to travel and i've grown up traveling. I have certain things that I miss that I can only find by traveling - the ocean, the mountains, new people, new foods...so brilliant. and I love the brass in this song. (download from Amazon)

4) Yawny at the Apocalypse - Andrew Bird

sometimes you just need some Andrew Bird (download here)

5) Wild Is The Wind - Billy MacKenzie

I first heard David Bowie sing this song. Everyone knows his voice...and has heard of him. How many have heard of Billy MacKenzie? He was the lead singer with a band called The Associates. It is a band that very few know and I think more people should know of them. I think his voice is really good and needs more attention...a great range, great expression. "My love is like the wind, and wild is the wind." Here is a video of Billy singing live.. (download here)

6) Prenzlauerberg - Beirut

I first heard of Zach Condon and how he recorded a whole album in his bedroom under the name Beirut. I heard a track or two - or possibly a sample of this band and thought it was so cool. For a 15 year old to be channeling the Eastern European styles, the roma styles of music...so cool. And I like his voice as well. I don't always understand what he is singing - but then i listen to a lot of music where I don't understand the lyrics...however i do understand the vocal inflection, the melody, and I feel like I understand the intent from that. I also just realized that there is some brass on this album - starting off with the Hungry March Band in the first track, then Bjork, and now Beirut. hmm - I certainly didn't choose these three tracks because of the brass, but I'm sure it was there in the background, the subconcious. I feel very Italian or Godfather when I hear this song. or Spanish - even though it is a German title...do you agree? (download here)

7) Language - Scott Matthew

Scott Matthew was also in "Shortbus" and I fell for him hard. I like his look, his writing, his music and love his voice. This is from the soundtrack to "Shortbus" - and I think in the movie he is sitting and singing this in the background. I think that is enough... (download here)

8) I Just Want To see The Boy Happy - Morrissey

I try to put songs from albums that 1) meant a lot to me in the previous year, or 2) were released in the previous year. I believe that this falls into both catagories. I've been a Morrissey fan since I first hear The Smiths. And I think that we have all been in the place that this song is in...it doesn't really matter what happens to me, I just want to see this other person happy. And there are times that we will do anything we can to make the other person happy - or at least try to make them happy. (I also think that Morrissey is incredibly hot and will go see him perform any chance i get) (download here)

9) Oceans Of Lust - Devotchka

Very similar to Beirut, Devotchka is a band that I've fallen in love with. It combines a wide variety of styles from all around the world and makes the most wonderful music. Most of you have probably heard them from the soundtrack to "Little Miss Sunshine." I'm not even sure why I love this song - but i do really like the rhythm of it, and there are so many times that we float on oceans of lust. (download here)

10) If It Be Your Will - Antony

I like distinctive voices...if you haven't noticed by now. Distinctive Voices and singular songwriting. This has both of them. Antony and the Johnsons...I kept hearing about this group, reviews in teh New York Times or other New York based magazines. I finally decided to try them out. it took me a while to get into his voice, but I think his songwriting is interesting, lyrics are great, and he is incredibly expressive with his voice. The song in this instance was written by Leonard Cohen. This is another artist that I'm slowly getting into. I always heard that he was a great poet - so many artists rave about him. Somehow I think the first album I tried to hear of his - it just didn't sound like what I was looking for. So, i have yet to really buy any of his albums. This is from a tribute concert that was put together - a variety of singers (including Rufus and Martha Wainwright) singing the songs of Leonard Cohen. This song is really great - and I think that Anthony's voice is perfect for it. Here is the video...now, for the record I have no idea why he moves the way he does while singing, and I know that he is very trans-identified, or at least not interested in gender. (total sidebar, on the album Volta that the Bjork song Wanderlust comes from - Bjork and Antony duet) (download here)

11) I Was Meant For The Stage - The Decemberists

From one theatrical song to another. I heard this song before I was a Decemberist fan. I first heard it on the album Kiki and Herb Will Die For You - Live at Carnegie Hall. Yes, Kiki is also known as Justin Bond. On the album, Herb sings it - and I thought it was a really good song, very well written, and great lyrics. After all, I'm an actor - I was and am meant for the stage. This was something I was doing at the time that I put this album together, but I really wanted to be on the stage - as I do every day almost. Then, my dear friend Carise started talking about The Decemberists. "Crane Wife" had just come out - and we had an instore play copy at Barnes & Noble. I played it often (the Japanese aspects of it helped quite a bit) and I loved it. At that point I decided to buy the catalog - and have bought their CDs and the one DVD they have put out. I worked for a few summers at Fort Snelling - a lot of their music reminds me of the music that we would play while working there. The story songs, the somewhat simple instrumentation - Now...I'm not keen on the bombastic, noisy ending of the song - but what can you do right? (download here)

12) I wish I could forget you - Barbara Cook

Barbara Cook. There is no voice like hers. She first became known for playing Marion in the original cast of "The Music Man". Now - let me tell you about Seth Rudetsky. Seth Rudetsky is a guy from NY, who does a little bit of everything. He plays piano and is a alternate, or stand-in pianist for a lot of Broadway shows. He also does rehearsal piano, and teaches Master Classes in performance. He has written a book that is very very funny, and he has a blog that thrills me every time I go on. On his blog (actually a Vlog as it is all Video) he does these deconstructions of songs, and singers - mainly from Broadway. He will play the song, talk about the lyrics, and break down the performance - usually pointing out interesting choices the singer has made, or tidbits of history about the song, etc. I love watching them as I learn about the voice, the performer, and the song - and Seth is very fun to watch. What does this all have to do with Barbara Cook you ask? He has provided the best definition of her voice right here. Now - about this song. It is from Sondheims musical "Passion." It was first sung on stage by Donna Murphy (who I later saw play Anna in "The King And I" my first trip to NYC). I chose this song for a couple reasons. First off, I think Barbara is amazing. i think the song is amazing. The big reason though is this. On the first disc I opened and closed with songs of rememberance, songs for Tim, Justin, Harley, Zack, and those others who have gone before me. There are times that I do wish I could forget them - but then I remember all that I learned from them, and the part that they played in my life (even if they didn't know the significance) and the last few lyrics of this song come to mind:

and should you die tomorrow
another thing I see
your love will live in me

(download here)

13) Running Up That Hill - Kiki and Herb

First off - I'm a huge Kate Bush fan. I fell in love with her album Sensual World. There are still songs on that album that make me shiver, they are so gorgeous. She has had a long career and I think is gorgeous. I love watching her dance, her artwork for each album, the lyrics - and most of all - I love her voice. This song specifically still blows me away. In watching the video, it is the movement with her arm up, swinging side to side that I think is so cool. The album this song is from is "Hounds of Love" which is one of my favorite albums of hers. The first "side" is a collection of songs. The second "side" is a whole concept that blows me away. I could write much more about this - but I'm going to hold off for now. So, let me turn your attention to this specific track. Kiki and Herb - this is the last track of their one live album. I really like the arrangement, the one piano, and the voice. The slow beginning, the need that is expressed (if you will). Take a look at the live video from a performance at Joe's Pub. The break in her voice, the simple piano...it is close to perfection. Then there are the lyrics...if I only could, I'd make a deal with God and get him to swap our places... Like earlier with the Morrissey song - there are things and times that you as a person realize that for love, or whatever, that you are willing and wanting to switch places with someone - to go through the pain they are going through so that they don't have to. At least, that is how I interpret the song. Of course, there could be the reverse...but my life has driven me to the point where I want to take care of people.

(download here)

It took me long enough to write this up and get to this point. Hopefully I'll be able to write the others and not take three years to get them written.

peace -
krl

sweet dreams

2010-08-11T22:45:00.003-05:00

it has been a long time since I've posted - I apologize.

Honestly, I haven't even posted anything more than photos on my LJ so you really aren't missing much.

HOWEVER - my goal for tomorrow is to get some posting done - update some playlists, maybe get some interesting links posted - we'll see what happens.

either way - I wish you sweet dreams

(I was actually looking for a song called "sweet dreams {and what better video then Judy Collins and the gorgeous Catherine}" written by John Bucchino, which I just found)

peace

hugs

krl

Closing Day

2010-05-31T16:20:00.003-05:00

Where do I start?

I believe that "Oklahoma!" was the very first musical i ever saw. I remember my parents taking our family to go see a touring production of "42nd Street" when it came to Tokyo. You always have a soft spot for your first don't you? the innocence, the joy of the romance, and yes - even the title song...they are all reasons that I love the show "Oklahoma!" I was a freshman in High School when I first saw it - and it was being performed by the choir and the members of band were given the chance to play the overture, then sit for the next two hours while the show went on. During those two hours, I heard the music and got to know the guy who was playing Jud. Probably one of my first show-crushes.

So, for closing night of the recent production of "Oklahoma!" at Lakeshore, I decided to follow my instinct and burn a cd for the cast. Every one got one along with a card. It was tough to put together as I love the show, love the cast, and as I've written elsewhere - it was one of the best theatre experiences i've had so far. it was the longest run i've done, and there was something in the chemistry that made it as amazing and meaningfull to me as it was. I think I teared up a couple times during the show - and know I was crying during the curtain call. It didn't help that the director was in the front row crying, leading the standing ovation (my first), and that we the cast were applauding her.

That being written - the cd is a combination of songs that I listened to on the way to rehearsal, during warm-up, and songs/artists that i think need to be shared. Here you go:

1) Beautiful - Cast of Glee
I had just finished watching the episode that this was on (thanks Hulu). I know that there are cast members who are fans of Glee and I thought it would be a good version - on top of the fact that I'm a fan of good cover versions. Now, the real reason I chose this song as an intro (remember bookends?) is this. I do my best on a daily basis to find something beautiful about the people I see. I do firmly believe that we are all beautiful - some of us that beauty if manifested physically, others it is manifested spiritually or with a beautiful personality. I hope that every day you can wake up, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are beautiful - because you are. In my viewpoint, you are a creation of God...and while God certainly has a sense of humor, He does NOT create things that do not please Him. And if you are pleasing to God, you are beautiful - right?

2) I Can't Say No - Poe
I recently found a mix-disc that I made years ago and this song was on it. i think it is a fun version, and how could I not include at least one song from the show? Even if it is a dance version ;-)

3) The Pop Singer's Fear of the Pollen Count - The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is a band I discovered years ago and really really love. Neil Hannon - the lead singer - has a great voice and I think his lyrics are just fun and very smart. I try to put a Divine Comedy song on every one of my mix-discs as i think more people should know them. On top of that, we started rehearsal in March (?) and worked all the way through spring, early summer, and there were colds and allergies going around. How could I NOT include a song about Hay Fever?

4) Sing - Pink Martini
This is just a classic song. I love the version by The Carpenters, the version by Kristin Chenoweth, and really - all versions. I think we all grew up singing this song as kids right? (at least i remember singing it in elementary) The cast all had great singing voices and should sing more often - and really, we were doing a musical...

5) Don't Be Afraid - John Starkey
John Starkey is an artist that I used to see perform weekly down at Jitters. This specific song for me has a lot of memories. They used to close their gigs with a very up-tempo version of this song that ended with John and his two back-up singers singing "Everythings gonna be alright." At the end of a show, I think it is a good thing to remember (heck, even at the start of a run, or a performance) "don't be afraid, everything is going to be alright" It is the cock-eyed optimist in me.

6) Gravity - Sonos
Sonos is a band that was on an instore play disc at Barnes & Noble. As I wrote earlier, I like cover versions. On top of that, I also really like vocal accapella music. "Something always brings me back to you" - totally my feelings about me and live theatre. On top of that, singing along to Sonos on the way to rehearsal was a great way to warm up the voice.

7) Beat My Dog - Audra McDonald
There are very few voices or performers that I think can do no wrong. Three Tony Awards by the time she was 28? wow!! And her first Tony award was for her role in "Carousel" so there is a R/H connection. This song is just fun, fun, fun. And of course, the message of no matter what you do - I love you. I also really like the very simple accompaniment. Finally, it is a good intro to the next set of songs...

8) And Then You're Gone - Pink Martini
A very good story song, from a very fun band. Pink Martini is another one of those bands that I first heard at Barnes & Noble. I've heard a couple of their albums and I really like their style. They do a good mix of jazz and international songs all w/ a very nice style. So, ladies first (of course) and next up...

9) But Now I'm Back - Pink Martini
The guy's response. My favorite part is the background singers. The swing sound - old sound but new at the same time.

10) See What I Want To See - Audra McDonald
From a musical version of "Rashomon" by Michael John LaChiusa. The original cast recording of this song was sung by Idina Menzel. Stylistically similar to the past two songs - and lyrically...perfect. I see what I want to see, I know what I want to know. In my book, this is looking for the beauty in people, looking for the good, knowing the good and remembering the good times. (I hope I don't sound like a pollyanna - I do see the truth, and have been hurt - but why focus on the bad?)

11) You'll Never Walk Alone - Robin S.
Yes, one of my all time favorite R/H songs. But I'm sure you've never heard it like this before. Nothing like a good big dance beat in the middle of a mix-disc. And again there is that sense of hope. Hold your head up high, Don't be afraid, Walk on and you'll never walk alone. And part of the reason you can hold your head up high and not be afraid is because you are beautiful and wonderful.

12) I want you back - Sono
Another great vocal warm-up track. It is also a really good song to come after a dance track. it is soulfull, fun, and vocally interesting.

13) Someone To Fall Back On - Jason Robert Brown
I love JRB. I think the shows he writes are great musically and story wise. I also think that the songs he writes outside of shows are also very very good. This is one of those songs. I think this song also applies to my life - or has at times, like it probably has to a lot of us. Times when you really like someone, but realize that they will never return the feeling or the affection. In times like this you realize that while you may not be able to be THAT person, you are willing to be there as a back-up. Not really a back-up I guess, or maybe not only a back-up - maybe as support. His songs make me think obviously - and there is something about his music that I can relate to. My final words on this are these: I understand and realize that i do not have those leading man looks. I've always been the cute one - all the time growing up I was cute. I was never hot (and this isn't about looks necessarily). I never got leading roles - even when I was in almost every show in High School i always got the character role. All the way through college I had one leading role...in a one act. But I will always be there for those I love and care for. And sometimes after writing all of that out I think..

14) My Stupid Mouth - Audra McDonald
yeah, it is another cover song...but it say so much. We've all been there (sometimes in dressing rooms) where things come out of our mouth and we have no idea why we said it. And it is Audra McDonald so you can't go wrong. And this is the start of a bit of a Broadway Diva section.

15) The Beauty Is - Kelli O'Hara
Kelli is another singer who can really do no wrong. This is from "Light in the Piazza" by Adam Guettel. Adam is another composer who I feel attached to his music somehow. There is usually a sense of want or desire to his music - but it is a desire for something unkown. Think of "Something's Coming" from West Side Story - a lot of his songs have that feel to them. I picked this song because I like the opening line, I love the show - and the message again is perfect for what I'm trying to say. "I'm as far away from home as I can be, and the beauty is that I still meet people I know" No matter what show you do, or what theatre you work at, or what job you work at - you will always meet people you know....in the bigger sense. You'll make friends, you have similarities with those you associate with. I think this applies more so in theatre because as actors/singers/dancers we all share a common knowledge, a common bond. It is easy to walk into a space, your first rehearsal, an audition - and you know what you are doing and everyone else knows the same thing. (does that make sense?) In the bigger picture you could see the thought being that we are all people - yeah, we may look a bit different, speak a different language, have different ways of decorating ourselves - but inside we are all the same. We are beautiful and wonderful.

16) Somewhere - Audra McDonald
17) How Glory Goes - Audra McDonald
I love how these two songs fit so well together musicallly and lyrically. In the bigger picture they fit together as well. "Somewhere" was written by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim learned his trade and was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein. Hammerstein and Rodgers wrote together...Richard Rodgers was the grandfather of Adam Guettel who wrote a little show called "Floyd Collins." The song "How Glory Goes" is from that show. It is the story of a man who gets caught in a cave, trapped under a fallen ceiling of sand and he can't move. His brother knows he is there and can see him, but they can do nothing to save him. This is his final song from the show - he is wondering what heaven is like. I think the song is amazing and beautiful - and Audra does right by it. I don't really have much to say about "Somewhere" except that it is a song of hope...

18) Fire And Rain - Kelli O'Hara
I figured if I put Audra on here doing a cover song, I should put Kelli on here doing a cover song as well. On top of that, it is one of my all time favorite songs. If you've seen the movie "Running on Empty" you'll know part of why I love this song so much. It also reminds me of those people I love who left suddenly, or were taken away suddenly. I think that we all have situations that this song could apply to - but I don't want to get sad or morose. I just want to hear a good song, think about my dear friends, and hope/know that I will see them again.

19) Hero and Leander - Adam Guettel
Again, if I'm going to put JRB on here singing his own song, I'm going to let Adam Guettel sing one of his as well. This is from a really interesting concert piece that he wrote called "Saturn Returns." Guettel found a very old hymnal and re-worked some of the hymns. He then put them together with original songs based on various myths. The story of Hero and Leander is interesting. "I need you, I need the rise and fall of your voice" - I hope we've all been in that situation. Passion for someone - not necessarily a physical passion, but being passionate about getting to know someone, working with someone. Toward the end of a run of a show, I did need and love the cast. Having a show to do gave me a 'love to rejoice' and have the show gave me a need, and fulfilled a need. I needed to do those steps, I needed to sing those songs, to interact with those beautiful, wonderful amazing actors i shared the stage with.

20) I Double Dare You - Audra McDonald
I posted this song at least once on facebook. At the time I wrote that I was double daring the audience to come see the show and NOT fall in love with it, or with us. At the same time I posted it for some very specific reasons - personal reasons. I think we should all be in a good place where we know that we are amazing people and we should double dare someone to fall in love with us. On top of that, I think this song is to all genders for all genders from all genders. Love is love - it doesn't have to be anything beyond that. I firmly believe that if we were all more affectionate with each other (regardless of gender) life would be so much better. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me standing next to someone and having my arm around them - especially if we are friends. This is something I thought about for a long time and it was really brought to the forefront of my thought when I spent a month in Uganda. There and in a lot of other Middle Eastern countries, men will walk down the road holding hands. Women will do the same. (of course, it is rare to see a man and a woman hold hands but that is the culture there). There is something important about touch that I think we have really lost here in the US. When I was in Uganda, I stayed and got to know a family. They taught me that there, it isn't about the strength of the handshake, it is about the touch. When last I saw Alex, he was here in the States touring with a show he had written. He and I stood and talked for about five minutes all the while holding hands - it showed the friendship we had, and the relationship and the affection we had for each other. So - I double dare you to come over here, and to sit close, to be my friend, to take my hand - and to let me take yours.

21) Home - Glee cast w/ Kristin Chenowith
This is one bookend. I started with the Glee cast and am closing (sort of) with the Glee cast. This song is amazing! It is a song from the show "The Wiz." Stephanie Mills originally played Dorothy on Broadway, and Diana Ross played her in the movie. If you haven't seen the movie you need to - Nipsy Russell, Diana Ross, and the late Richard Pryor, Lena Horne, and Michael Jackson. Doing a show makes a theatre a home - and Lakeshore is a home for me. I've done two shows there already and it is comfortable. I feel like I know the house well, I know the stage really well, and it is a place filled with love and affection. To some extent, all theatres are a home don't you think? Most of us who perform will tell you that walking onto a stage for the first time is like coming home - as well as being introduced to a new home. It is an odd feeling but one that I really like! (by the way, Kristin Chenowith is another one of those performers who can do no wrong)

22) Wonderful - Gary Go
I also posted this on facebook a while back. There are times that we know we are beautiful. We can look at ourselves in the mirror and say - yes, i am beautiful, no matter what anyone else says about me. Then there are times when it is a bit more difficult to say that. In those times, I find that if I can't say I'm beautiful, I can always say "I'm Wonderful." Because I am. I can think of myself as being a creation of God and know that I'm individual and loved and made for a purpose. OR... I can think of myself as this amazing miracle, wrapped up in chemicals, I am incredible and I don't take it for granted. If you think about the evolutionary process it is a miracle that we are here. You are a miracle, you are incredible, you are wonderful and you are beautiful.

peace -
krl

Oklahoma Opening

2010-05-26T14:46:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since doing a show. The last show I learned in pretty much ten days. I didn't really have time to get to know the cast or enjoy the process until after the show opened. With that in mind I didn't do anything for opening night. For "The Fantasticks" I did do a mix-disc for closing night - and gave a copy to each cast member.

For "Oklahoma!" I decided to do one for opening night. It was a bit tough putting it together. I wanted to do a disc of all the great songs that Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers did...either together, or by themselves. Finding the right songs and the right versions was tough. On top of that - trying to figure out what order to put them in was more difficult. I'm a fan of bookends when it comes to my mix-discs - and a really good flow to the disc as well. For me this means not only musically, but also lyrically.

The other thing that made this specific disc and time difficult is that my Grandma Bourn passed away on Monday - the week we opened. I took an early out from work that Monday as I was tired and not feeling my best. I got home and heard the news. I went into work on Tuesday, then to rehearsal. I had the rest of the week off (I work Fri - Tues) so Wed, Thurs were my weekend, then I took Fri/Sat off for the Funeral, and Sunday was off because of our matinee. My sister came into town on Thursday so it was great to see her and have her here for the funeral and opening night. But it was still a tough week.

So - here is my Opening Night Disc for Oklahoma!, April 23, 2010.

1) The Sound of Music - Julie Andrews from "Broadway: The Music of Richard Rodgers"

How do you start a disc of Rodgers and Hammerstein? By probably the most famous song of theirs ever - and sung (in a new version) by the voice best known for the song. Lyrically it says what it needs to - that there is music everywhere, and that we need to embrace and enjoy it.

2) So Far/Getting To Know You/Shall We Dance - Phillip Officer

I picked this disc up many years ago because I'm a fan of R/H (Rodgers and Hammerstein). On top of that, here was a guy singing some songs that are usually only sung by women. I also think that the song itself is a great way to start a disc. "We have nothing to remember so far" - that is right. We have just met and are going to be working on a show together. The medley then moves into "Getting to Know You." Again, a great the process of getting to know your fellow cast member, getting to like them, hoping they like you, etc. And of course - what is a musical without Dancing right?

3) The Surrey With The Fringe On Top - Barbara Cook

I don't think you can put any CD of songs from classic musicals without having Barbara Cook. The original Cunegonde in Candide, the original Marian from The Music Man - her voice is amazing. As Seth Rudetsky once said - when you listen to her is like she is talking and she has an amazing speaking voice no matter where it is placed....and now she is adding vibrato. Her voice is one of a kind - her tone is brilliant and every song she sings is so individual. She is a consumate performer. And while this song is in the show (I had to put some OK songs on this disc) it is a version that I dig a lot. I like the speed to it, it changes it up and makes it interesting.

4) Stepsister's Lament - Jessica Molaskey

I think this song is just a fun little throw-away number from a show that is discounted. It is from "Cinderella" that originally stared Julie Andrews when it was first shown on TV...a very very young Julie Andrews. Typically it is a duet - but I do like the solo version. In fact, I've used this song as an audition piece because it is a fun song.

5) Nothin Like A Dame - Sammy Davis Jr

There was a time that Reprise records put out versions of four different musicals - all sung by various artists on the Reprise roster. Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, Sammy Davis, Andrews Sisters, etc. I believe that you can purchase a box set with all four "cast recordings" on it - but I have a sampler disc. Considering that this song is a classic R/H song I figured I needed a version that was a bit different. On top of that - I needed a male voice right now on the disc. After seeing Ben Vereen at The Dakota this past fall, I have a new respect for Sammy Davis Jr. (Vereen is working on a show about him). I only really know Sammy Davis Jr from the film "Sweet Charity" so this is a cool little track. As a added bonus - "South Pacific" happened to be in town during the run of the show so - bonus!

6) The Gentleman Is A Dope - Barbara Cook

This is taken from the show "Allegro." Written between "Carousel" and "South Pacific" it was one of the few "flops" that R/H had. The show was experimental in the sense that it had a Greek chorus, fluid staging (done by a scrim that cut the stage in half diagonally) and not much of an interesting story. The recent full recording is brilliant - Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn, Marni Nixon, Patrick Wilson, Danny Burstein, Liz Callaway, Judy Kuhn - you can't go wrong with this cast. This song and the song "So Far" are both from this show. On a side note, I was having some issues getting Sunday's off for the matinee and so the first couple lines were very appropriate ;-) (further side note - I did actually quit a job because they wouldn't let me have a night off for a preview)

7) Out Of My Dreams - Bernadette Peters

If I had to pick a favorite song from "Oklahoma!" it would be this song. There is something so romantic and sweet about it. And if you are looking for a good interpreter of songs with a good voice...why not pick Bernadette. Sure, some people think she has a bit of an odd voice, but I've been a fan for a long time - ever since "Song and Dance." I don't really like the tempo of this version, but i do like her solo bridge (without the amazing backup womens chorus we had). Plus, there is that sense of hope that the song has. I'm a fan of hope. There is a security that the singer has knowing that while she is longing to fly into his arms, she knows and believes that he will be there. Of course, at this point I don't know if I'll be able to hear the song without looking both ways waiting for a row of women to go running past me ;-)

8) Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise - Phillip Officer

The first song on this disc that is NOT an R/H song. The lyric is Hammersteins, the music is Sigmund Romberg. Romberg was a writer of operettas. It is from the operetta "The New Moon" which also had the song "Stout-hearted Men." I first heard this song on a disc of jazz standards being sung in English by a Japanese singer. I thought the lyric was nice, but it was the melody that caught my attention. I also have a great recording of this with Gordon MacRae and Kristen Flagstad.

9) We Kiss In A Shadow - Holly Cole

Holly Cole has one of the best jazz voices in my humble opinion. This song is from "The King And I" which is a show I did with Janice. It was my first time doing an R/H show and I really had a great time doing it. I played the Kralahome so I didn't have to sing, and I got to speak Thai! I had seen Donna Murphy and Lou Diamond Philips perform this show live on Broadway the first time I went to NYC. I thought it was a gorgeous show and really enjoyed seeing the kids on stage. Donna Murphy deserved the Tony Award she won for this role - it was great! Holly Cole - Canadian singer/ songwriter who always puts a very interesting twist on standards. She also comes to The Dakota so go see her next time she is here.

10) Make Believe - Jessica Molaskey

Show Boat. Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein. This song will always make me cry when I'm watching the movie. I think it is really sweet the first time it is sung in the film, but when the reprise comes along...I'm a goner. Watch the movie and tell me it doesn't move you. After "Out of My Dreams" and "Softly.." I continue the love/romantic section with "We Kiss..." and "Make Believe." Of course, this song is a good transition to the next song. From "Make Believe" to...

11) This Can't Be Love - John Pizzarelli

What makes this transition even better for those who know - John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey are married. Jessica is a Broadway singer who I first heard in Jason Robert Browns "Songs for a New World." John Pizzarelli is someone who I first heard working at Barnes & Noble. I thought his voice was sweet, and his guitar playing is brilliant. I didn't see him at The Dakota last time he was here - but next time I hope to. I think he is very old-school while being modern at the same time. And here we have a song with music by Richard Rodgers, and lyric by Lorenz Hart. I'm sure if I did some research I'd be able to tell you that is was written for the show "The Boys From Syracruse" which is a musical version of "Comedy of Errors."

12) Lover, Come Back To Me - Barbara Cook

Some people may know this song best in the version by Barbra Streisand. Streisand's version is very different but also very good in it's own way. This song is another Hammerstein/Romberg piece - from "The New Moon." I'm not sure when I first heard it - I think it was probably the Streisand version - but i dig it a lot. Again, you can't go wrong with Barbara Cook.

13) Falling In Love With Love - Mary Cleere Haran

Another Rodgers/Hart song - also from "The Boys From Syracruse." Most people have never heard the verse, nor have they heard of Mary Cleere Haran. Mary is a cabaret singer in NYC who has a very beautiful voice and interpretation. I bought this CD on a whim a while back - all songs with lyrics by Hart. Since that time I fell for her voice and have bought other albums by her. This specific song will always remind me of theatre. We used it in a production of "Torch Song Trilogy" that I stage managed and teched many years ago at the Unicorn Theatre downtown Mpls. I love the piano solo and the bass solo in this version - and I really like the lyrics. While I certainly am a romantic, there is a part of me that thinks that falling in love with the idea of love...well, too many people do that in my book. They don't really fall in love with the person, but they do fall in love with the idea of being in love.

14) I Have Dreams - Kelli O'Hara

One of the best new voices on Broadway right now. I first heard of her in Adam Guettel's "Light in the Piazza." She then was in "Pajama Game" with Harry Connick Jr, and most recently "South Pacific" where she re-teamed up with Matthew Morrison. And we are back to the R/H team - another song from "The King And I." And another uber-romantic song - similar to Make Believe, or even Out of my Dreams. Hope in the dreams that eventually become reality.

15) People Will Say We're in Love - Fred Hersch

Fred Hersch first came to my attention with this disc. It was a promo at Barnes & Noble and i thought it was very cool. All songs by R/H (which I love) and being played on piano (which I play and love) and in a jazz form. What can be wrong with that? nothing! I also felt that after all this time, it might be time for another song from "Oklahoma!" but again in a version very different than most have heard. I believe one of his more recent albums was based on Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass - and is very very cool. vocals, brass, piano, orchestration...a very cool concept and album.

16) All The Things You Are - Phillip Officer

Kern/Hammerstein - written for "Very Warm for May." This is another one of those super romantic songs that I fall for. Lryically it is so good - but musically it is amazing! Check out the Wikipedia entry on it. I didn't know it had so many modulations and changes.

17) I Can't Say No - Jessica Molaskey

Back to R/H. Just another version of a cute song. I like the slower tempo, and I also like the fact that Jessica sings the first version almost accapella. It brings you into a song that you have heard many many times, and it makes it easy to hear the song in a new way.

18) Everything I've Got - Malcolm Gets

I first heard this song sung by Holly Cole. She, being the cabaret/jazz singer that she is, took is about half the speed of this version. I think the song is awesome - in both versions. The reason I chose this version is two-fold. First - it was time for a male vocal. Secondly, I like hearing all the verses/choruses. Lorenz Hart has such a great way with words. This was originally written for a show called "By Jupiter" which also included the song "Nobody's Heart."

19) Where Or When - Tierney Sutton

Another Rodgers/Hart song - written for "Babes In Arms." I like the song and I'm sure you've heard it before sung by Sinatra, or one of the other classic Standards singers. Here is another performer that I just really dig - Tierney Sutton. She is consistently smart with her arrangements and interpretations. Her backing band is always amazing and with her. I love her voice. Plus, isn't there something about getting into a cast where you have this sense of the other actors? You just feel like you've seen them before, or worked with them before? You get that closeness (if you are lucky) quickly. And if it a show that you love - it makes it easier. There are times to get to a first rehearsal and you just feel like you've come home. Maybe that is just doing theatre - the theatre is home no matter what.

20) Many A New Day/A Cock-Eyed Optimist - Phillip Officer

This is one of those songs that is the reason i bought this album. How many times have you heard a guy sing "Many A New Day"? It caught my attention and I think it is a good version. On top of that - the medley is near perfect. The first song talking about why look to the past? Many a new day will pass before I start looking back - in fact, I'll keep looking forward with hope and optimism...because I'm a cock-eyed optimist. And really, if you don't know by now - I am a cock-eyed optimist. I have faith that things will be alright (remember this theme) and that everything will work out for the best. Sure, things may happen and I have no idea why they happened, and I'm sad about it - yet at the same time I know that it is part of a bigger plan for my life. I also think this songs leads well into the next song - after all, who is almost always cheerful and upbeat? Julie Andrews...that is who...

21) Edelweiss - Julie Andrews

Remember what I wrote at the start about bookends? This one is a double bookend (sort of). Julie and Phillip open the album, and they both close the album. I didn't think of the following until just now so bear with me. Edelweiss is about the love of country - Austria in the story of "Sound of Music". Not necessarily about patriotism but about a homeland. Isn't that what 'Oklahoma!' is about as well? about the land and knowing that we are from a land that is great! Being a part of a bigger scheme - belonging to the land and nature. For some reason the show "Oklahoma!" reminds me that I am a part of this land that is called America. At the same time, it reminds me of the land that I grew up in as well - the mountains and streams of Japan - having that gorgeous Mt. Fuji visible almost everywhere I was on a daily basis. it isn't so much about belonging to a country, but belonging to the land. (also - this specific arrangement is stunning - with the linder folk dance in the middle of the bridge). I love this song...

22) In The Musicals - Bjork

Bonus track!! yeah, I know that this is a crazy song to finish this album with. It is from a very difficult movie called "Dancer in the Dark." Bjork plays a women who is losing her eyesight and so she keeps falling into these musical fantasies. This number comes towards the end of the movie - I believe that they are doing a dance rehearsal for West Side Story, or some other classic musical. She hears the dancing, the squeeking of the tennis shoes on the floor and goes into this song. Just pure joy - nothing can go wrong because we're in a musical! And in a musical there is always some one there to catch me... The bonus part of this is that Joel Grey is in the movie as well ;-)

so - I know this was a long post, but hopefully it shared a bit of info into how this mind of mine works...especially when it comes to making mix-discs.

ciao -
krl

ps: if anyone wants a copy of this disc - let me know and I'll burn one for you!

Oklahoma Hello!

2010-05-26T14:21:00.003-05:00

I'm an actor. It is what I do even if I'm not in a show. Sometimes I'm an actor who is choosing not to act (like the fact that I'm a smoker who chooses not to smoke). Acting is my passion - if I know I'm going to the theatre, my day is made. To some extent I feel like Cassie in "Chorus Line - The Movie." She has a song in the movie called "Let Me Dance For You." The lyrics to that song have been part of me since I first saw the movie:

"Let me wake up in the morning knowing I have somewhere exciting to go"

sure, in the movie it is all about being a dancer, a gypsy. In my life change the words to actor - and it is pretty much the same thing. I think I'm talented and willing to do anything for a show. The biggest thing that I think is a bonus is that I'm consistent. As an actor if you give me a direction - I'm going to follow that and be where I need to be every night. That isn't to say that I won't adjust as needed, or look for new sides to the character...but I will do my best to be in the moment, maintain high energy and do what needs to be done.

that however is neither here nor there.

the point to this post is this. The last show I did was two years ago. You can read about that experience here. It was a good time and a sudden show that was thrust upon me. "Oklahoma!" was not that frantic thankfully. I auditioned a week or so after the main auditions and callbacks. I wasn't planning on auditioning. My friend Liz (who stage managed this along with "The Fantasticks") told me that they still needed guys and I should show up at Callbacks. I didn't think that would be cool for those people who did audition so I didn't. The second round of auditions was being held a day or two after that - and I told the director (Janice who produced "The Fantasticks" and who I worked with previously) that I would probably be there. At the last minute, I realized that I really needed to finish my Thesis before i did a show. However, when a day or two after that I get a call from Janice asking me to audition....I cain't say no! I went to the audition - sang my song, did the dance audition, was offered a role in the chorus and then asked if I could stay for rehearsal. After the last experience of getting into a show, staying for rehearsal and not getting any food until 10pm...I said no....to staying for rehearsal that is.

So - I started rehearsal for 'Oklahoma!' and we opened on April 23. We just closed this past weekend on May 23. We played a total of 16 shows...the longest run I've done so far. I really need to ask my friend Jonathan Rayson (who is playing in "Legally Blonde" how he does long runs or tours). After 16 shows I wasn't tired of the role, or the show, the dancing - nothing. I still love it. I know that is an odd thing to hear from an actor. Most theatre people think that of all the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals - "Oklahoma!" is the sappiest. Most of my friends don't like it. I on the other hand...LOVE IT! I'll try to explain that love in another post.

I think that is enough for now...

ciao,
krl

interesting tidbits

2010-05-05T18:00:00.001-05:00

I just found this information and thought I'd share:

(the link is possibly nsfw)

Facts You didn't know about sex.

The longest recorded female orgasm lasted 43 seconds, with 25 consecutive contractions.

On average, a man will ejaculate 7200 times in his life. Roughly 2,000 of those will be on his own.

Among giraffes, there are ten times as many homosexual males as there are lesbians.

Ninety-four percent of 25 to 30-year-olds have tried dirty talking during intercourse.

Every five seconds, an estimated 2778 people are having sexual intercourse.

According to a recent survey, 10:16 on a Saturday night is the nation’s favourite time to have sex. Friday nights at 9pm is the second most popular, with 9:30am on Sundays third most popular.

A US survey has found that 96 per cent of female university students said they preferred oral sex to intercourse.

Oral sex has been documented in goats, primates, hyenas, bats and sheep.

Fatafehi Paulah, King of Tonga between 1770 to 1784, entitled himself the right to personally deflower every virgin in his kingdom. He slept with about ten virgins a day and as many as 37,800 in total during his entire reign.

A mass orgy took place in 1974 at a rock concert in Los Angeles, where 262 couples had sex.

According to the Hite Report, candles are the objects used most frequently by women when masturbating.

Seven out of ten people always kiss with their nose to the right.

The female blue whale holds the record for the world’s biggest vagina, with a normal length of 6-8 feet!

Men have about nine erections during a night’s sleep, regardless of what they dream.

Tunes and Tunes

2010-03-25T16:43:00.002-05:00

Here is a quick celebration of some of my recent favorite songs and videos.

Gary Go - Wonderful.

I love the video, and i love the song and the lyric. I wrote once on facebook that sure, Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" is a great song...that everyone is beautiful in their own way. However there are times that you just don't feel beautiful. However, you can always feel wonderful, and firmly believe that you are wonderful. Besides Gary Go is cute ;-)

This next song is by the Hidden Cameras. They are a Canadian band that I first heard from the movie "Shortbus." There is something about their sound that I just really like. And this song is the song from "Shortbus."

Finally, one of my all time favorite bands - The Divine Comedy. Even if it is just Neil Hannon going solo, I still love his sound and his voice. And this song - so darn sweet, and sad.

heart...

krl

2010-03-25T16:24:00.002-05:00

I got this from here - a blog that I read and get emails from almost daily. I think it is an amazing blog and you should all take a look at it at some point! (http://www.towleroad.com)

Read what they have to say about the video. It has become one of my favorite songs this past summer/fall.

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

You can get the lyrics here http://www.grizzly-bear.net/music/

isn't it a great video? I know that it isn't the official video, but I less then 3 it quite a bit!

ciao,
krl

R&H Flash Mob

2010-03-25T16:01:00.003-05:00

Maybe this is really dumb but this video makes me choke up.

I know that part of it is because of the song and the whole Sound of Music thing which I love. The other aspect is honestly the dance! Just a simple thing, and watching the pure joy on these non-dancers doing something fun.

How can it not make you smile!! And they are more tears of joy and happiness. Joy at how much fun it looks.

OK - I don't really care for the big dance mix in the middle. I also have to wonder how many people just joined in without actually being a part of the group.

what do you think?

ciao,
krl

Stars on Stage

2010-03-18T14:51:00.003-05:00

Someone at work and I were talking about Richard III. I saw the show years ago in '88 at The Guthrie (at least i think it was 88). Yeah - I know that makes me old - get over it.

So, while talking about that show, I thought I'd see if I could get a cast list.

Guess who I saw on stage?

The Earl of Richmond, later King Henry VII - Bradley Whitford

yep - the start of The West Wing, and other great shows...live on stage. who knew?

I had day #2 of my workout today. It was quite fun and tough (of course). Then a quick shower, then to the chiro. I'm sad because my chiro is planning on moving offices to Brooklyn Park. It will be more business for him (I hope) but he will only be at his current office one day a week. Sure - I'll drive to where ever to get adjusted by him - however I know that it won't be the same as he won't be working out of an office for a while...or maybe he will. I like the downtime, the conversation time we have on top of the adjustment. and he also trust me enough to have me adjust him using one of those little gun type things. It also means i get to get my hands on him. I really think and know that he needs to be massaged, but I don't think he ever thinks he has enough time to do it. He always feels that he is too busy.

someday -

krl

If you could do just one important thing in your life, what would you wish it could be?

2010-03-18T09:35:00.001-05:00

For a long time I thought it would be publicly important - writing a book, or something like that. Recently I've realized that it can be something as small as being there for someone.

Ask me anything

Olympics

2010-03-04T17:30:00.002-06:00

I'm a big fan - but missed all of this year. I would blame it on something - but the only thing I can blame it on would be my own procrastination. I do not have cable and for Christmas I finally received the HD box so that I can watch regular TV. The box is still sitting in my living room right next to the TV. I guess after spending over a year NOT watching any TV, I am not in the mood to set it up. However - I'm sad I didn't take the time to do it, or to watch. I heart the Olympics.

especially when I read news like this...

An "emergency airlift" of 8,500 condoms was sent last week to the Olympic Villages in Vancouver and Whistler for the athletes. The first shipment of 100,000 - or 14 condoms per visiting athlete - provided by the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research had run out. Foundation executive director Kerry Whiteside told The Kingston Whig Standard: "when we heard about the condom shortage in Vancouver, we felt it important to respond immediately. Safer sex is key to preventing the spread of the HIV virus."

The demand for condoms at the Vancouver Games is in stark contrast to Beijing. Last fall, a collector auctioned 5,000 condoms that were left over from the 2008 Summer Games.

How fun is that?

now, on the downside or opposite side of that, I also read this:

NEW CONDOMS FOR BOYS

Condoms in a smaller size for boys as young as 12 have hit the shelves in Switzerland, following government-funded research.

The condom, called the Hotshot, has been created in response to research funded by the Federal Commission for Children and Youth which showed that 12- to 14-year-olds were not using adequate protection when having sex, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported.
The research, conducted by the Centre for Development and Personality Psychology at University of Basel interviewed 1,480 young people between the ages of 10 and 20 and found that more 12- to 14-year-olds were having sex than a decade ago. Another German study of 12,970 13- to 20-year-olds, found a quarter said a standard condom was too large.

The Hotshots, which cost $7.85 for a packet of six, have been created by a leading Swiss condom manufacturer, Lamprecht AG. They measure 4.5cm in diameter, compared to a normal condom, which has a diameter of 5.2cm. The Hotshots are the same length as a standard condom.
http://health.ninemsn.com.au/sex/relationships/1020033/extra-small-condoms-for-12-year-olds-on-same-in-switzerland

Guys...did you even know what you were doing by yourself at 12? let alone have a need for condoms? I'm glad that kids are being safe and all - but isn't there a time to say a kid and just play with yourself instead of having full-on sex?

Maybe I'm a bit jealous but I'm just saying...

ciao -
pk

Vacation!!! day 1

2010-02-10T21:42:00.003-06:00

I'm here...

I'd love to say I'm here in sunny Orlando Florida...but it is 10:42 pm, no sun, and it is sweatshirt weather.

This is my first family vacation in years and years. My parents and I are sharing a room right now. My sister, brother-in-law and their five children are on their way down from TN and should be arriving in about 3-4 hours. When that happens - I'll be sharing a bed with one of my nephews, another one will be on a trundle bed, and the rest of that family will be in the next room.

yep - ten of us sharing two rooms...each room has two double beds (and trust me, they are not the queen size bed that I'm used to at home. I should clarify - the queen size bed that I'm used to having all to myself at home.

On the flight down, I finished "The Swan Thieves" by Elizabeth Kostova. Quite a good book - though I sort of guessed a bit of the ending. Next book - the new Jasper Fforde.

The two flights down were good - a bit turbulent coming in to Atlanta, but otherwise just fine. Thank goodness for my ipod as there were screaming kids on both flights. oh well...

it is now 11pm here...I've been up since 7:30 or so...did not sleep well last night, probably won't sleep great tonight either (though I know I don't have to get up for work or anything else in the am so that will relieve a bit of stress) so...I'm off to bed.

ciao,
krl

Happy Blog Award

2010-01-31T20:28:00.003-06:00

I've been presented a Happy Blog Award from palindrome over at Musings of a Palindrome.

THANKS!!!!

I really don't know what I did to deserve this as I haven't written anything since 1.14 but I'll take the award for sure! ;-) I'm glad to know that I have at least one follower. I always hope to have/find more, but then I do realize that I'm not consistent enough of a blogger to have more. anyways - on with the show. I guess at this point I'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy, and then pass this award to 10 other blogs. To be honest, I don't know many other bloggers that I could send it to - so I'll be a big selfish and just list 10 happy things. Of course, these are 10 things that make me happy today - tomorrow it could be different.

1. Maxwell - even though it has been over seven years...he and this song make me happy.

2. kate bush - again, I don't really care what she is singing...I could listen to her any time, any where and I'll be happy. This would be my all time favorite songs of hers. And I have to love a performer who dances, and choreographs her own videos.

3. Friends...
I like hanging out with them, the crazy conversations that take place, and of course the opposite as well - the deep conversations that I look forward to - the delving into what makes us tick, etc. Which i guess this blog is apart of - a delving in to myself showing what makes me tick. And if you know anything about me, you'll know that it is music that makes me tick.

4. Patrick Gale - Patrick Gale is an author from England. The first book of his I read was "Rough Music." There was something very charming and moving about it. Since then I have gotten and read every single one of his novels and I'm involved, and moved by them. He is an author I will continue to read and support - even if I have to order his books from the UK. I also think that he should be better known here in the US.

5. Pop-up Books
I always enjoyed Pop-up and moving books as a kid. Yeah, i was that kid who could be handed a book at any point growing up and I would sit quietly and read. Recently there is one pop-up artist who I'm continually amazed by - Robert Sabuda. I think that he is amazing! Sure, there are other pop-up books that may have bigger pop-ups, but I don't think any of them are as intricate as Sabuda's. The only one who may be as intricate would be Matthew Reinhart, his partner.

6. Japanese food - it could be noodles from Tanpopo, or a dinner at Sakura, or Osaka. Or even home made katsudon. I love it and could eat it daily.

7. Almodovar - Pedro Almodovar is an amazing film director from Spain. I've been a fan of his every since I first saw 'Atame!' (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down). I thought it was a funny movie, yet moving - all that plus Antonio Banderas, what could go wrong? I've kept watching and buying his films as they have been coming out on DVD. Sadly I don't always take the time to see them in the theatre (though I know I should) but I find him fascinating, and a great director. He knows what to do with color, and music, and story... The first example here is from "Habla con ella" (Talk to her). A strange, incredibly moving film about two women in comas and the two men who love them. There is a guest appearance by Caetano Veloso in this movie - and this song/film makes me happy...

As does this clip from Volver. The song Volver is "sung" by Penelope Cruz's character. She thinks that her mother is dead, yet while singing this song she catches a glimpse of her mother sitting in her sisters car. I love the song, and the flamenco sound of the vocals. (Edit: that original video was removed, but here is Estrella morente singing the song live)

8. Home.

Home means a lot of things to me. It means my family, my cat, my neice and nephews. This is home to me. Along with that, home is also Japan. I grew up there and there is a part of me that will always know of Japan as being home. There is a word in Japanese "furusato" or ふるさと。In my mind, furusato is everything that Japan and my youth represent. This song pretty much says it all. The singer is Koji Tamaki (one of my all time favs), and he was raised in Hokkaido (the northern most Island in Japan). Hokkaido is just a bit further north than Morioka, and the camp i used to go to in Northern Japan. Because of those connections - I think he really hits a point.

9. Theatre - live theatre makes me happy. Even if it isn't the best show, or the best audience around me - I am continually moved by Theatre. In my book though - this also means any sort of theatre - be it Opera, Musicals, Opera or Musicals on film, live theatre on film...etc.

10. love - enough said.

any questions?

ciao,
krl

Trouble With

2010-01-14T20:30:00.002-06:00

I've been watching Alfred Hitchcock - almost non-stop. When I was working at the university (which shall remain nameless) they had a class on the Art of Hitchcock. Their text for that class was/is "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock" by Donald Spoto. I bought a used copy and since that time have been working on collecting the films of Hitchcock.

Here is the strange thing - the only Hitchcock I really remember seeing was "The Birds." It wasn't until I was out of college that I finally saw "Vertigo." However I had seen Mel Brook's "High Anxiety" and so I sort of picked up the references since that time. Now, I've seen "North by Northwest" a couple times, "Rear Window" twice, both versions of "Strangers on a Train" and now I'm watching "The Trouble with Harry" for the second time. Sure, there is always the fun aspect of trying to find Hitch in each of his films (though sometimes I do cheat). I like the fact that he was working in black/white all the way until the mid 1950's ("Dial M For Murder" released in 1954 is really the first color film he did). I believe that he goes back into black/white for "Psycho" but since I have yet to see that film, I don't know. I also dig that he does a lot of in-can editing.

So do you have a favorite Hitchcock?

what and why?

ciao,
krl

B-fast

2010-01-07T10:49:00.003-06:00

So - I'm sitting here at a computer that is not mine, listening to the new Nouvelle Vague CD with my friend John. Doing the coffee/pastry thing (because we are both very health concious guys) and just chilling.

I'm also showing him about blogger as he is a very handsome, witty, charming truck driver who is going to be out on the road for awhile and I want him to share his adventures. (How was that for a long sentence?)

so - hopefully he'll start one, but we'll see.

ciao,
krl

ps: I'm also going to show him my LJ so he may be there...

Birthday 2009

2009-07-16T11:38:00.007-05:00

Every year I create a mix-disc for my Birthday. I do it to share music that came out since my last birthday, or music that has inspired or meant something to me in the previous year. The biggest reason for this is that I have a HUGE love of music. I have over 3000 cd's. There are a lot of bands and music that I listen to that many of my friends don't know. I want to share the amazing music I listen to and introduce my friends to these great bands so...This is what was on my Birthday disc for 2009.

I'll be posting links to the bands websites, or places to purchase the disc. PLEASE PLEASE search these bands out and support them - either via purchasing on Amazon or BN, or directly through their websites.

(EDIT: I was asked to take the links down. If you want the info, let me know - otherwise visit the artists website and support them directly)

Birthday 2009 (songs from july 2008 - June 2009)

1) The Bones of You - Elbow www.elbow.co.uk
Elbow is a band that I discovered about two years ago. They were on my disc last year, and again this year. Some people have called them a new version of prog-rock. I would disagree. I think prog-rock and i think YES, while this is just good tunes. Guy Garvey has a great voice - it reminds me a bit of Damien Rice, but more throaty - more Irish if that makes sense. Alright - There is something about the chorus of this song that works for me - lyrically and musically.

This version is from their "The Seldom Seen Kid Live at Abbey Road." The original ends the same way - with the trumpet sounding "Summertime" but the live version makes it more clear. And considering that my birthday is July - Summertime is good.

2) >Aquarius - Hair movie soundtrack
The trumpet continues from Summertime to a musical that reflects some of the thoughts and hopes that were around the year I was born. I love that brass from the opening of this track - and Melba Moore sounds amazing. On top of that, I can't hear this song without thinking of the Twyla Tharp choreography (yes, the same choreography from the end of 'The 40-year old virgin.' And there is a great sense of hope to this song - and I live my life hopefully. If you haven't seen the movie - go check it out.

3) Masterswarm - Andrew Bird www.andrewbird.net
After his last album was played over and over at Barnes & Noble, I fell for Andrew Bird. There is something about his music, something about his lyric, something about his voice, his look - It intrigues, it mystifies. I like this new album quite a bit. It has been played far far too many times at BN, and it is not something I would play - however if it does get put on, I still enjoy it. I like the way he has brought violin into pop music, the way he layers. soo cool. and the best thing - the alliteration. My fav part of the song starts with the bridge "so they took me to the hospital."

4) Wilderness Wheel - Issa www.issalight.com

Issa. She used to known as Jane Siberry. I won't say that I was in love the first time I heard her - I wasn't. I thought her music was interesting but it really didn't do much for me until "When I was a boy" and the album "Maria" - then I started understanding her art. And her live 2-disc Christmas album is an amazing album. So - she has changed her name to Issa. Her first album came out this year, and there are a lot of really good songs on there - but Wilderness Wheel - there is something - the interplay of the nature sounds, her voice. The line "You/ You've come from so far/ To be here right now" Isn't that true? Think of your journey to be not only where you are, but who you are right at this moment. Even if you think that you haven't had an interesting life, your life is different from everybody else's life. I look forward to her next album, while still enjoying the work and art of Jane Siberry.

5) bleeding all over you - Martha Wainwright www.marthawainwright.com

I don't think this song needs an introduction. Since Rufus didn't come out with an album of his own this year (hopefully the Opera will be out next year) I turn to his very talented sister Martha. i love her voice, i love her writing, and this song is good - "I know you're married but I've got feelings too." haven't we all been in places like that? someone you are interested in, a onesided relationship, or otherwise involved too much in work to return the affection.

6) I'm throwing my arms around Paris - Morrissey www.morrissey-solo.com

I've been a fan of The Smiths and Morrissey for a number of years. I saw Morrissey perform at The Quest many years ago, and when i heard he was coming back to town - I was excited. I was talking to a friend of mine who asked if I was going to go to the show, and (since I was only working one part-time job I said probably not) next thing I knew he told me he had two tickets and was wondering if I wanted to go. I didn't hesitate to say yes. It was a great show and from this song until the next Smiths song - the songs are about a budding friendship/relationship. And while I've never been to Paris, there have been times that I have wanted to throw my arms around Mpls, or Tokyo because no one wanted my love. Like I've stated previously, I live hopefully so - hopefully things will change.

7) Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop - Landon Pigg www.landonpigg.com

I like Coffee Shops, I like Coffee, I like workers in coffee shops, and i really like this song. simple, sweet, and so true about new relationships...the excitement when you realize that there may be deeper feelings involved...all taking place in a coffee shop. could you ask for more?

8) F.N.T. - Semisonic www.semisonic.com

Yeah - the album came out in 1996. Fascinating New Thing. I've met a lot of great people this past year. This is for all of them, and a specific in mind. As the lyric states "I'm surprised that you've never been told before that you're lovely and you're perfect and that somebody wants you." I want every one I meet to know that somewhere, somehow they are loved and they are perfect and that somebody does want them. ok...maybe not perfect...but loved and wanted. i have to remember this myself as well. I am loved, and while I may not know it - I am wanted...and perhaps someone does think that I'm perfect.

9) Hey Ya - The New Standards www.thenewstandards.com

Produced by Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) the album "Rock and Roll" came out this year. It is nothing but fun and good jazz. Covering everything from Peggy Lee to Lou Reed to Britney Spears? nothing but fun. And they are a local MN group so you really can't go wrong in my book.

10) La Llorona - Beirut www.beirutband.com

another one of my fave bands. I have no idea why but there is something about this band that I dig. Yeah - there is the whole ethnic sound to it, but there is also something about Zach Condon's voice. I think I have put his music on almost every mix-disc I've done. I can't get enough. Like Devotchka, or Issa, or Elbow - when a new album comes out, i start looking forward to the next one right away...only because I want to know where they are headed, i want to be on the adventure and journey with them. It is comforting and new - if that is possible. This year Beirut came out with a double album - "Beirut March of the Zapotec" and "realpeople Holland." yes, they are the same band with a very different sound. But so so good...

11) Time Will - Hercules and Love Affair www.herculesandloveaffair.com

I don't know where to start with this band. Great music, fun, and Antony doing guest vocals. What a great idea and a great sound. I love Antony's voice - lyrically I'm not sure what the lyric means but a great tune, and a good intro to Kylie Minogue.

12) Can't Get Blue Monday Out of my Head - Kylie Minogue www.kylie.com

Two great songs being mashed into one really great song. At least in my mind ;-) And Kylie is coming to the US for the first time ever? Sadly she is not coming to the Twin Cities, and I can't afford to see her in Chicago but - hopefully it will sell well and she'll be back. Like every one else, I first heard her version of "Locomotion" and thought it was cute. However, it was a dance remix version of "Spinning Around" that caught my ear, and hooked me on her. I believe that she and I are the same age...but what a great voice, great body, and i dig her alot - no excuses.

13) This Love won't Fail - Oleta Adams www.oletaadams.com

This goes back a number of years. The album "Come Walk with me" came out in 1997. I was a fan of Oleta Adam's first album, but this album slipped by me until the show RENT came to town for the first time. I'm a huge fan of RENT and that first year the cast took a Monday night and performed a cabaret. The final song of the evening was this song - and it was like the opening of Act II of RENT - the whole cast coming on, singing "Seasons of Love." Well - this year, RENT made its return to the Twin Cities. I wasn't going to go but then they said that most of the closing Broadway Cast would be touring, along with Anthony Rapp, and Adam Pascal. When I first saw RENT in NYC, I believe I saw Anthony Rapp perform, but Norbert Leo Butz was playing Roger instead of Adam Pascal. I couldn't give up a chance to see these two great actors play the show. And what a surprise to see my favorite crush Sean Earl in the cast. So - this is for them

14) There is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Divine Comedy www.thedivinecomedy.com

I will never miss a chance to share one of my all time favorite bands - The Divine Comedy. Sure, this isn't one of their songs, but The Divine Comedy covering one of my all time favorite Smiths song...I can't go wrong. I love it, I love the voice and the lyrics. It is near perfect...and a good ending to my little musical love fest.

15) Say Hey (I Love You) - Michael Franti & Spearhead www.michaelfranti.com

This song is just for my girl Carise ;-) Great song, Great rhythm, great band. Michael is an amazing lyricist and has a great political mind, showing such care for the world, and the people. And he is very attractive in my book.

16) The Flesh Failures (Let The Sunshine in) - Hair (original cast recording)

A brand new production of HAIR just started treading the boards on Broadway, won Tony awards, and critical acclaim. Why this show and why now? I have no idea - but I look forward to seeing it when it tours (if it tours). I just think that this song is such a great ending to a great show - full of hope and desire and to some extent demands. Demands to look on the lighter side, to look on the good side of people, to let the sunshine in, to open up your mind to new ideas, to listen to others with an open heart, to care for others, to look out for others. I also have this desire to do this show just so I can be on stage, singing full voice these lyrics. I long for that day. I don't know if I'll ever get a chance to do it, but i can...(what is that word again?) everyone together... HOPE!

17. One Day Like This - Elbow

If you know me at all, you know that I like themes to my mix-discs and I like bookends. This one has a double bookend - two songs from Hair, and two songs from Elbow. I think both songs make a good opening thematically and musically. I think they make the same sense when it comes to closing. Yes - it is from the same Live at the BBC recording. And again, a perfect ending. After the song "Let the sunshine in" how can you NOT put a song that rings "throw those curtains wide."?

So - there you are.

ciao,
krl

dang it..

2009-07-05T13:51:00.002-05:00

so I just noticed that it has been since May 25 that I've put anything on here. Most of what I'm writing or posting is going on my LJ but (big news) I just started using dropbox so I'm hoping that I'll be able to post some links here for you to download my birthday cds...and other "mix-tapes" that I have done.

we'll see how this turns out.

I'm hoping to be able to get it done early this week as I'd like to have it in place before my birthday bash at Grumpy's on Wed.

lets hope it works..

ciao,
krl

April Breszny

2009-05-25T17:25:00.002-05:00

4.1.09

"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you
believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take
responsibility for making it so. If you assume there is no hope, you
guarantee there will be no hope."
- Noam Chomsky

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In his book *When the Impossible Happens,*
Stanislav Grof describes a man named Kurt who was "very unhappy if
there were no problems in his life and adversaries against whom to fight."
Kurt didn't just thrive on crises; he felt uncomfortable if he didn't have
any. In my vision of how your destiny is unfolding, Cancerian, you now
have the ability to express a more temperate version of this capacity.
What I mean is that you could be highly entertained and resoundingly
moved by the dilemmas that come into your vicinity, but without going
overboard into obsession. You could embrace the challenges in
appreciation for the way they compel you to get smarter, but without
clutching them desperately.

4.8.09

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of
it. My optimism, then, does not rest on the absence of evil, but on a glad
belief in the preponderance of good and a willing effort always to
cooperate with the good, that it may prevail. I try to increase the power
God has given me to see the best in everything and every one, and make
that Best a part of my life . . . No pessimist ever discovered the secret of
the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the
human spirit."
-Helen Keller

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Executives at an Austrian insurance company
have taken a novel approach to filling job openings in their sales division:
They're only seeking Capricorns, Tauruses, Leos, Aries, and Aquarians. "A
statistical study indicated that almost all of our best employees have one
of those five star signs," they said. I haven't seen the study, but
according to my personal analysis, it's a mistake to leave Cancerians out
of that privileged group -- at least in 2009. The members of your tribe
have exceptional powers of persuasion right now, as well as even more
than your usual skill at tapping into the subconscious minds of those
you're working with. I believe these advantages will be especially potent in
the coming weeks.

4.15.09

The Giver of Stars

Hold your soul open for my welcoming.
Let the quiet of your spirit bathe me
With its clear and rippled coolness,
That, loose-limbed and weary, I find rest,
Outstretched upon your peace, as on a bed of ivory.

Let the flickering flame of your soul play all about me,
That into my limbs may come the keenness of fire,
The life and joy of tongues of flame,
And, going out from you, tightly strung and in tune,
I may rouse the blear-eyed world,
And pour into it the beauty which you have begotten.

- Amy Lowell, *Sword Blades & Poppy Seeds*
http://tinyurl.com/c3sqjd

CANCER (June 21-July 22): What I'd really like to see you do in the
coming weeks is party harder and party smarter than usual. In my
astrological opinion, you're most likely to attract life's maximum
generosity by shedding some of your social inhibitions and cultivating the
pleasures of free-form networking. Believe me, I know how important it is
for you to maintain the kind of strict boundaries that protect you from
being overly influenced by other people. It's what keeps you in close
touch with your intuition. But for the foreseeable future, I think you'll
thrive on the unexpected blessings that come from giving yourself to the
intelligence of the crowd.

4.22.09

"The planet is some kind of organized intelligence. It's very different from
us. It's had 5- or 6-billion years to create a slow moving mind that is
made of oceans, and rivers, and rainforests, and glaciers. It's becoming
aware of us, as we are becoming aware of it, strangely enough.

"Two less likely members of a relationship can hardly be imagined -- the
technological apes and the dreaming planet. And yet, because the life of
each depends on the other, [we have] a feeling towards this immense,
strange, wise, old, neutral, weird thing, and it is trying to figure out why
its dreams are so tormented and why everything is out of balance."
- Terence McKenna

CANCER (June 21-July 22): This would be an excellent time for you to
lead a populist revolt to overthrow the abusive authorities or out-of-touch
elites who have been working their dumb magic for far too long. It would
also be a perfect moment for you to stop cooperating with energy-
draining situations that undermine your autonomy. The Age of Passivity is
ending, thank Goddess. Launching the Age of Awakening may not be easy
or fast, but you will attract extra help and encouragement if you do it
now.

4.29.09

"Pain and conflict are, to a large extent, the result of a discrepancy
between the way we think others should treat us, react to us, and
appreciate us, and the way they actually do. Many of our miseries are
thus rooted in self-pity, the most worthless of all human emotions."

--Ann Davies, Qabalist teacher

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If His Holiness the Dalai Lama (like you, born
under the sign of the Crab) had a Twitter account, I bet that this week
he'd tweet something like this: "Nothing's permanent and we should
never be attached to anything, but wow! -- the goodness rising up now
may send ripples through eternity!" What he'd mean is that while reality is
always in continual flux, and it's wise not to cling obsessively to either its
pleasures or sadnesses, the powerfully healing mojo that's moving
through Cancerians' lives these days could have long-term positive
consequences.

long long time 2.18 - end of March

2009-05-25T17:15:00.002-05:00

yep - this is a catch-up of Rob Breszny so...enjoy, or pass it on by.

2.18.09

"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final
word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than
evil triumphant."
- Martin Luther King Jr.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): If you ask young men what experiences have
afforded them the most adventurous fun of their lives, a majority will talk
about indoor activities. Some will say video games and others their sexual
escapades. Only a minority will describe far-flung events in the great
outdoors or exotic locales. What about you, Cancerian? Under what
circumstances have your most amazing forays into the unknown
unfolded? Where have you been transformed in ways that helped you
stretch to meet your destiny? I'd like to suggest that it's time to go
beyond those previous benchmarks. You're ready to transcend your
personal limits as you wander into the frontier.

2.25.09

The Evening Is Tranquil, and Dawn Is a Thousand Miles Away
by Charles Wright

The mares go down for their evening feed
into the meadow grass.
Two pine trees sway the invisible wind—
some sway, some don't sway.
The heart of the world lies open, leached and ticking with sunlight
For just a minute or so.
The mares have their heads on the ground,
the trees have their heads on the blue sky.
Two ravens circle and twist.
On the borders of Heaven the river flows clear a bit longer.

- Charles Wright, *The New Yorker*

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I'm in quest of new role models. There've
been some good ones in my life, and I'm grateful for how they've
awakened me, but right now I need fresh heroes worth emulating. Know
any? I'm not dogmatic about what I'm looking for, and am willing to be
surprised, but here are a few qualities I admire: compassion combined with
unpredictability, high integrity mixed with an intense commitment to
creativity, and self-discipline blended with playfulness. I like smart talkers
who are also savvy listeners, and people who have a balance of open-
minded objectivity and emotional intelligence. By the way, what's true for
me is true for many of you, my fellow Cancerians: You could use a new
role model, too, and it's an excellent time to go in search of one.

3.4.09

"If you have ice cream, I will give it to you. If you have no ice cream, I will
take it from you."

- Rishi Suzuki (He calls this the ice cream koan)

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Scientists and fundamentalist Christians don't
share much common ground, but one thing most of them agree on
devoutly: There's no such thing as reincarnation. Now I'm pleased to be
able to offer you the chance to rebel against their dogmatic delusion. You
see, Cancerian, it's an excellent time to try out the hypothesis that you
have lived many times before and will live many times again. For one
week, act as if it were true, and see how it changes the way you feel,
think, and act. What if everything you do has repercussions forever?

3.11.09

"My feeling about technique in art," John Barth told an interviewer in
1968, "is that it has about the same value as technique in love-making.
That is to say, on the one hand, heartfelt ineptitude has its appeal and, on
the other hand, so does heartless skill; but what you want is passionate
virtuosity."

- Charles Harris, "Reading John Barth"

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As I compose your horoscope, I'm sitting in a
restaurant in San Francisco's Chinatown dining on something the menu
refers to as a Milky Golden Prize Delight Bun. And I'm thinking, I bet it's
going to be a kind of Milky Golden Prize Delight week for you Cancerians .
. . a Sweet Creamy Lusty Elixir week . . . a Rich Thick Tasty Brilliance
week. If you can manage it, I suggest you try to have a dream one of
these nights in which you find a delicious morsel of the sun in a bowl of
pudding, and savor it all while listening to the full moon sing you a thrilling
lullaby.

3.18.09

"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's
greed."

- Mahatma Gandhi

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A famous Youtube video shows a small crab
perched on top of a giant jellyfish that's swimming in the ocean. (It's
here: tinyurl.com/6ulpoe.) Apparently this is a common phenomenon. The
species known as the graceful rock crab not only grabs free rides on
jellyfish, but also steals food from them as it does. This creature is your
role model, Cancerian. See if you can develop a safe and symbiotic
relationship (perhaps temporarily) with a big stinging blob. At the very
least, wangle some benefit out of a clueless behemoth.

3.25.09

"The metabolic pathways of pain and malaise evolved because they
served the fitness of our genes in the ancestral environment. They will be
replaced by a different sort of neural architecture -- a motivational
system based on heritable gradients of bliss. States of sublime well-being
are destined to become the genetically pre-programmed norm of mental
health."
- David Pearce, http://www.hedweb.com/, The Hedonistic Imperative

CANCER (June 21-July 22): So many miraculous images of Jesus have
been appearing in Cheetos corn chips lately that a new cult of "Cheesus"
worshipers has sprung up. I suggest you consider the possibility of joining
them. This is a favorable time to switch your religious affiliation to a faith
that puts great stock in goofy miracles. ARPIL FOOL! I lied, sort of.
There's really no mandate for you to become a Cheesus Freak. But it is a
fine time to add tender irreverence and fun-loving funkiness to your
spiritual aspirations.

well...tweet

2009-03-26T22:33:00.002-05:00

As you can see from my side bar, I'm a twitter-er. What is odd is that I never seem to take the time to actually blog, but I use twitter which is a form of micro-blogging. I have over 100 followers (quite a few of whom I don't know), and I follow about 100 people as well. Now, some of these people are the New York Times (I follow three different feeds of theirs), NME news, John Digweed, a site named Towleroad, Pink is the new Blog, and a variety of others. Then there are people whom I know in real life who I also follow.

Something happened today that I'm not sure how to translate or interpret.

I Twittered on Sunday that I was doing some work for Jostens. Today I got an email and a phone call from my mom (who works at Jostens) who said that one of her co-workers had written something on twitter that pulled any mention of Jostens. Now - that I understand, as a company you want to get a sense of what people may say out there about the company you work for. After she saw my tweet, she then kept reading my tweets and mentioned to my mom my most recent tweet about what I had for breakfast. Nothing major (and it seems that this is mainly what I tweet about for some reason) but it freaked my mom out.

I guess this woman is a bit of a gossip and mom was concerned about what information I was putting out there in the world - that someone could find me on twitter, see my name and enter it into dex, find out where I live, etc. She even brought up the fact that no one thought people would kill each other via craigslist.

So - here are some questions:

1) if you twitter, are you concerned about someone stalking you online? and possibly IRL?
2) In a situation like this, is it my duty to make my tweets private so that my moms coworker cant read them? or is it my mom's responsibility to ask her co-worker not to follow me, or to find out what her twitter name is so I can block her?

thoughts? comments?

ciao,
krl

Six Degrees

2009-03-26T22:31:00.000-05:00

I recently re-watched "Six Degrees of Separation" by John Guare.

I first came across this play back in the '90s when I was working at the Unicorn Theatre in downtown Mpls. We were doing a production of "Torch Song Trilogy." The 2nd act of Torch Song takes place with all four characters in or on a bed. The director wanted us to go see "Six degrees.." as all the actors stay on stage at all times, and step forward to the playing area when needed. Tim wanted us to utilize the same format for the 2nd act of Torch Song.

I found the play to be incredibly well written and fell in love with the writing and style of John Gaure. Of course, watching the film is always good because of the amazing cast - Stockard Channing, Anthony Rapp, Donald Sutherland, Ian McKellen, etc. I was a bit pissed when Will Smith made a bit point out of NOT wanting to kiss another guy during this film but the film makes up for it.

so in watching it, not only am I always amazed and interested in the whole concept of the six degrees - but also for this:

(spoiler alert) Below is the last or close to the last scene in the movie. So - if you don't want to know how it ends, do not watch this...but read on (spoiler alert)

The key that I want to bring here are these lines:

"...we turn him into an anecdote to dine out on. Or dine in on. but it was an experience. I will not turn him into an anecdote. How do we fit what happened to us into life without turning it into an anecdote with no teeth and a punch line you'll mouth over and over for years to come. 'Tell the story about the imposter who cam into our lives--' 'That reminds me of the time this boy--' And we become these human juke boxes spilling out these anecdotes. But it was an experience. How do we keep the experience?"

So - all the stuff that we blog about on a daily basis (or bi-weekly basis in my case). All we talk about, all that we do experience...how do we keep that experience an experience? or is this an impossibility? Is everything that happens to us in life bound to become a story? and anecdote?

ciao,
krl

March March March

2009-03-01T22:53:00.002-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras, and welcome to Lent.

Have you given anything up for Lent this year? and are you making it difficult? or just an exercise?

In the past I have given something up almost every year. I realized this year that it isn't so much about denial as it is about discipline. This year I have decided to do a couple things - mostly financial.

1) put some amount into savings every paycheck
2) make payments first before planning any dinners out, movies, etc
3) do some research towards my thesis every week - some article or book

that is about it this time. I'm slowly working my way through my cd collection and deciding what I need and what i can sell. At the same time I'm updating my delicious library database so that it reflects my thoughts on my collection instead of Amazon's thoughts. I need to start working on getting my books in there as well, but right now with over 3000 cds, the program is so slow I'm thinking of using an online book library/database. Do you have any you would suggest?

Finally - taking a hint from my LiveJournal... I'm going to open up the month of March to be "Ask me Anything month."

leave a comment with a question and I'll answer it. All the comments are screened so if you don't have an LJ account and want to ask me a question that is private - ask it and I'll see what I can do to make sure you can read my reply.

If you want to leave me a comment here and ask a question here - feel free! I'd love it either way!

ciao,
krl

love of Rob

2009-02-15T15:36:00.002-06:00

It has been a while and there are still some things I want to do with this blog and am trying to figure out how. In the mean time - here is some catching up with Rob Breszny.

1.21.09

+

"There is a muscular energy in sunlight corresponding to the spiritual
energy of wind."

-Annie Dillard

+
PRONOIA says that evil is boring. Cynicism is idiotic. Fear is a bad habit.
Despair is lazy. Joy is fascinating. Love is an act of heroic genius. Pleasure
is our birthright. Receptivity is a superpower.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "When I grow up," writes Ramona McNabb, "I
want to be a river." In the coming year, that would be a worthy aspiration
for you as well, Cancerian. You'd generate a flood of benefits, some
unexpected, by cultivating your ability to be perfectly yourself as you
flow ever onward in rhythm with the sky and earth, unimpeded by the
fluctuations of light and darkness, and in love with the ceaseless
movement of your own strong currents.

1.28.09

+

"The degree in which a poet's imagination dominates reality is the exact
measure of his importance and dignity."

- George Santayana

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "We are all stupid," wrote Mark Twain, "just
on different subjects." Ain't that the truth? Sometimes I get
overwhelmed when I think about all the blanks in my education and the
ignorance that pockmarks my understanding. The good news for me --
and for all of you, my fellow Cancerians -- is that we're now in an
astrological phase that's ideal for getting a crash course in any subject
we're dumb about. If you're brave and humble, you could fix several holes
in your intelligence.

2.4.09

+

"The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul."

- Wassily Kandinsky

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Born in 1822, my great-great-great
grandfather Edward Dembowski was a bohemian philosopher and
columnist who led a revolutionary struggle to liberate Poland from
plutocrats and foreign occupation. A feminist long before most European
men entertained the issue of women's liberation, he edited a journal that
was the main organ of the "Enthusiasts," who fought for women's rights.
He's one of my heroes! I invite you, Cancerian, to delve into your own
ancestry to see if there are inspirational role models like Dembowski.
According to my reading of the astrological omens, it's an excellent time
to activate more of your dormant genetic potentials. One good way to do
that: Use your imagination to establish psychic and spiritual links to your
admirable forebears.

2.11.09

+

"Love is everything it's cracked up to be. It really is worth fighting for,
being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk
everything, you risk even more."

- Erica Jong

+

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GUIDING QUESTION for cultivating PRONOIA: "The secret of life," said
sculptor Henry Moore to poet Donald Hall, "is to have a task, something
you devote your entire life to, something you bring everything to, every
minute of the day for your whole life. And the most important thing is—it
must be something you cannot possibly do." What is that task for you?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Over the course of your lifetime, if you're
average, you will spend about 336 hours kissing. But why be average?
Especially now, when the cosmos is begging you to use your mouth to
incite ingenious bliss and explore the frontiers of closeness? To be in
maximum alignment with the great cycles of nature and make God happy,
I suggest you experiment with Guinness-Book-of-World-Records-levels of
smooching and licking and sucking. If you can't find a human partner to
collaborate with, then kiss the sky, the trees, the rivers, and even the
mist. (P.S. For extra credit, use your mouth to murmur lyrical praises and
whisper poetic temptations.)

again, just to clarify, this guy amuses me and makes me think of things in a new manner.

hope that life is treating you well -

remember that you are loved...

ciao,
krl

one more rob

2009-01-19T11:48:00.002-06:00

So - this is what was sent out on Dec. 24th. I think there is some really interesting things written - especially because Rob Brezsny is not a Christian...

anywho...here is it...

SOLSTICE INVOCATION FOR TRICKSTER ALLIES
by Caroline Casey

This is the midnight hour of the year, and of 8,000 years of Empire in
which humans ceded authority (Saturn) to socio-pathic dingbats. Until
now!

This Solstice poses the question: "What must we die to, within and
without, lest we die from."

The I Ching chimes in: 24. The Turning Point -- Winter Solstice

"After a time of decay comes the turning point. The powerful light that
has been banished returns. There is movement but it is not brought
about by force. Societies of people with a unifying vision are formed. But
since these groups come together in full public knowledge and are in
harmony with the time, all selfish tendencies are excluded, and no mistake
is made. Everything comes of itself at the appointed time."

"From deep stillness comes replenishment and the gathering of strategy
and wits. Not striving, but calm and merriment.

"The Winter Solstice has always been celebrated as the resting time of
the year. In winter the life energy is still underground. Movement is just at
its beginning; therefore it must be strengthened by rest, so that it will not
be dissipated by being used prematurely.

"The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an
estrangement; everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the
beginning, so that the return may lead to flowering."

Now more than ever.

All of Creation is holding its breath at this deep time, anticipating the
birth, within each human heart, of wonder and a willingness to cooperate
with everything. May we kindle the warm glow of Trickster kindness,
within us all, transform our emotional default setting to one of "Woof
Woof, wanna play!?!" Each moment awaits our imaginative dedication.

So let's toss all that is neither beautiful nor useful into the roiling cauldron
of re-birth, that Time is so kindly providing us. Let's compost all past-
patterns of self-sabotage, personal and collective, for starters.

And let's bow at the threshold of this New Year, to release and redeem all
that we do not wish to take with us through the door. Remorse is said to
be the highest of the negative states, the closest to clarity --because we
see and feel all those times when we didn't respond to life's "woof woof
wanna play?!" When we fell for the compelling illusion of
separateness, and forgot that we are all in one large, pulsing, shape-
shifting-according-to-collaborative-intent dream.

The Sufi, and we with her, gently pats her heart and whispers
"estafirahlah" "forgiveness of self and others." And may "forgive" mean
"to give energy for change."

The protoplasm of reality is particularly susceptible to imprint now, by the
power of word, language, story and metaphor. Allowing ourselves one
true hyperbole: Never before has the power of human story-telling been
so essential in determining what dies and what lives.

Let us dedicate ourselves to animating the desirable story. (To do
otherwise would be complicitous with the evolutionary dead-end of
empire.) We suck the chi of our complicity from that which is dying, and
exhale into the blooming of dynamic collaborative kinship. We are here to
re-dedicate ourselves to the responsibility of dreaming the desirable world
into being.

Saturnalia: Deeper Dedication is the anti-dote to fear, as feeling useful is
the anti-dote to depression. There -- that's handled.

So, let's visualize and dedicate, wherever we are around the Solstice time,
and journeying on into this powerful Winter, that we are offering our
unique and necessary Medicine, into the collective cauldron brew, and
ladling ourselves a cup of All-Heal.

Trickster Medicine is really the sine qua non that brings all the other
medicines into bubbling accord to produce the elixir of Dynamic Reverent
Ingenuity.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!
by Rob

Some Christians might be shocked to learn that Jesus Christ is one of the
Main High Dudes in my pantheon of deities and avatars.

They may believe that people like me -- Goddess-worshiping tantric Sufi
Qabalist pagans who hang around with Zen trickster witches and espouse
a socialist libertarian political philosophy -- couldn't possibly have an
intimate and vivid relationship with the cosmic hero they claim to own.
They act as if they have commandeered the trademark of one of the
sweetest, wildest avatars in history.

But I do have an intimate and vivid relationship with Jesus Christ. How
could I not? He was a champion of women's rights, an antidote to the
established and corrupt political order, and a radical spiritual activist who
worked outside religious institutions.

The dude owned nothing and was a passionate advocate for the poor and
underprivileged. He was uncompromisingly opposed to violence and war.

Besides that, he was a master of love and he devoted his life to serving
the Divine Intelligence.

He even went so far as to say, "Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat
you."

I want to be like Jesus Christ when I grow up!

So - Don't we all want to be like Jesus when we grow up?

krl

Real World

2009-01-17T17:50:00.002-06:00

Hey - it has been a long time and I have these sitting in my in box so...just a few quotes and interesting links and such from the Rob Breszny.

Dec. 10

+

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."
- Jules de Gautier

+

"We each must become like fishermen, and go out onto the dark ocean of
mind, and let your nets down into that sea.

"And what you're after is not some behemoth that will tear through your
nets, foul them, and drag you and your little boat into the abyss. Nor are
what we looking for a bunch of sardines, that can slip through your net
and disappear, ideas like 'have you ever noticed that your little finger
exactly fits your nostril' and stuff like that.

"What we are looking for are middle-sized ideas that are not so small that
they are trivial, and not so large that they are incomprehensible, but
middle-sized ideas that we can wrestle into our boat and take back to the
folks on shore, and have fish dinner.

"And everyone of us, this is what we should be looking for. It's not for
your elucidation, it's not part of your self-directed psychotherapy; you are
an explorer, and you represent our species.

"And the greatest good you can do is to bring back a new idea, because
our world is endangered by the absence of good ideas. Our world is in
crisis because of the absence of consciousness.

"And so, to whatever degree, any one of us can bring back a small piece
of the picture, and contribute it to the building of the new paradigm.
Then we participate in the redemption of the human spirit."

- Terence McKenna

In the Broadway play "Passing Strange," the
narrator Stew says, "You know how one morning you wake up as an adult
and you realize your entire life is based on a decision you made as a
teenager?" If that description applies to you, Cancerian, 2009 will be the
best year ever to do something about it. In the coming months, you will
have the power to correct errors or misjudgments you made way back
when. You'll be able to figure out how to start over in an area of your life
that you've always assumed you were doomed to accept just the way it
is. You may even find that you can, in a sense, change the past and
reconfigure your memories.

(I think this is interesting...do you think that your whole life is based on a teenage choice? Or do you realize that you are still living as a teenager in some ways?)

+

"Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling?"

-M.C. Escher

+

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
- Henri Matisse

+

(and now my favorite)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is
exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different
kinds of good weather."

- John Ruskin

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

and most of all - remember this below -

ciao,
krl

P.S. "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated
through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time,
this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any
other medium. It will be lost. The world will not have it.

"It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it
is, nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep
it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open." - Martha Graham,
quoted by Agnes de Mille, *Dance to the Piper and Promenade Home*

Free Will 12/3

2008-12-08T12:15:00.001-06:00

again from the Free Will Astrology:

THE RICH GET RICHER

"Dear Beauty and Truth Laboratory: Help! My old Buick's transmission is
dead, my credit cards are maxed, my kid's got to see the dentist real bad,
and the one-speed bike I ride everywhere is about to collapse. I'm working
two low-paying jobs already, although I just applied for a more lucrative
gig as a strip-club dancer, only I'm having so much mysterious pain in my
joints I'm not sure how sexy my gyrations will be. Please clue me in to
some tricks that will help me keep a pronoiac attitude in the midst of the
mess that is my life. —Pickled"

Dear Pickled: Here's the first thing I want to tell you: Pronoia does not
assume that material comfort is a sign of divine favor. The universe is an
equal-opportunity provider, conspiring to shower blessings on every one
of us in the same abundance. But while the blessings may come in the
form of money and possessions, they're just as likely to consist of other
gifts that aren't as concrete.

Here's a hypothetical example. Let's say you have the gift of feeling at
home in the world no matter where you are. The universe has determined
that it's the exact skill you need in order to fulfill the specific purpose you
came to earth to carry out. Having a prestigious job and big salary, on the
other hand, might be exactly what you don't need.

The question of what gifts are essential revolves around your precise role
in the universal conspiracy to perpetrate blessings.

The second meditation I'll offer you is a passage from the Gospel of
Matthew: "Whoever has, shall be given more and more, while whoever has
nothing, even what he has will be taken away from him."

Pronoiac translation: Whatever you choose to focus your attention on,
you will get more of it. If you often think of everything you lack and how
sad you are that you don't have it, you will tend to receive prolific
evidence of how true that is. As you obsess on all the ways your life is
different from what you wish it would be, you will become an expert in
rousing feelings of frustration and you will attract experiences that assist
you in rousing frustration.

If, on the other hand, you dwell on the good things you have already had
the privilege to experience, you will expand your appreciation for their
blessings, which in turn will amplify their beneficent impact on your life.
You will also magnetize yourself to receive further good things, making it
more likely that they will be attracted into your sphere. At the very least,
you will get in the habit of enjoying yourself no matter what the outward
circumstances are.

Bear in mind that you are a great wizard. You can use your powers to
practice white magic on yourself instead of the other kind. The most basic
way to do that is to concentrate on naming, savoring, and feeling
gratitude for the blessings you do have—your love for your kid, the
pleasures of eating the food you like, the sight of the sky at dusk, the
entertaining drama of your unique fate. Don't ignore the bad stuff, but
make a point of celebrating the beautiful stuff with all the exuberant
devotion you can muster.

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Lame-duck U.S. President George Bush is
mostly dreaming of his retirement these days, although he takes time out
now and then to create executive orders that undo environmental
protections. Barack Obama is planning hard for the monumental recovery
he hopes to lead when he assumes the presidency, but his time won't
come until January 20. Meanwhile, all the things that have been falling
apart under Bush's watch are continuing to fall apart, only bigger and
badder. Writes Josh Marshall in Talkingpointsmemo.com, "We're paying
mightily for having no captain at the helm at one of the most perilous
points in our recent national history." In regard to your own personal life,
Cancerian, please avoid acting like America. Don't wait for some formal
deadline before you make your moves. Expedite the transition from the
old order to the new with the force of a thousand ecstatic activists.

ciao,
krl

Rob Brezsny 11/26

2008-12-08T12:02:00.002-06:00

From Free Will Astrology:

It's time for the Gratitude Fest. Why not write thank-you notes to the
creatures, both human and otherwise, that have played seminal roles in
inspiring you to become yourself?

Who have been your guides along the way, both the purposeful teachers
and the inadvertent helpers? Who has seen you for who you really are?
Who has nudged you in the direction of your fuller destiny and awakened
you to your signature truths? Who has loved you very, very well?

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Two of the best money-saving steps you can
take, says TV's mock pundit Stephen Colbert, are to stop filling your hot
tub with champagne and stop lining your gerbil's cage with hundred-dollar
bills. I highly recommend that you brainstorm about initiating similar
conservative and preservative actions, Cancerian. It's time for you to get
really serious about shedding wasteful habits, cutting out needless
excesses, and culling trivial activities that impinge on the time and energy
you have available for the really important things. This shouldn't be a
cause for demoralization, by the way. On the contrary, the more creative
you are about setting limits, the more long-term blessings you'll set in
motion.

ciao,
krl

Rob Brezsny 11/19

2008-12-08T11:55:00.003-06:00

Here are a couple postings/thoughts from Rob Brezsny -

Nov. 19

YOU ARE A PROPHET

Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess.

Your imagination is your power to create mental pictures of things that
don't exist yet and that you want to bring into being.

Your imagination is what you use to shape your future.

And so in your own way, you are a prophet. You generate countless
predictions every day. Your imagination is the source, tirelessly churning
out mental pictures of what you'll be doing in the future.

The featured prophecy of the moment may be as simple as a psychic
impression of yourself devouring a fudge brownie at lunch or as
monumental as a daydream of some year building your dream home on a
mountainside in Hawaii.

Your imagination is a treasure when it spins out scenarios that are aligned
with your deepest desires. Indeed, it is an indispensable tool in creating
the life you want; it's what you use to form images of the conditions
you'd like to inhabit and the objects you hope to wield. Nothing manifests
on the material plane unless it first exists as a mental picture.

But for most of us, the imagination is as much a curse as a blessing.
We're often just as likely to use it to conjure up premonitions that are at
odds with our conscious values -- that's the result of having absorbed
toxic programming from the media and from our parents at an early age
and from other influential people in our past.

Fearful fantasies regularly pop up into our awareness, many disguising
themselves as rational thoughts and genuine intuitions. Those fearful
fantasies may hijack our psychic energy, directing it to exhaust itself in
dead-end meditations.

Every time we entertain a vision of being rejected or hurt or frustrated,
every time we rouse and dwell on a memory of a painful experience, we're
basically blasting ourselves with a hex.

Meanwhile, ill-suited longings are also lurking in our unconscious mind,
impelling us to want things that aren't good for us and that we don't
really need. Anytime we surrender to the allure of these false and trivial
and counterproductive desires, our imagination is practicing a form of
black magic.

This is the unsavory aspect of the imagination that the Zen Buddhists
deride as the "monkey mind." The monkey mind is the part of our mental
apparatus that's filled with pictures that endlessly zip around with the
energy of an agitated monkey. If we can stop locating our sense of self in
the endless surge of the monkey mind's slapdash fantasies, only then
might we be able to be here now and want what we actually have.

But whether our imagination is in service to our noble desires or in the
thrall of compulsive fears and inappropriate yearnings, there is one
constant: The prophecies of our imagination can be pretty accurate. Many
of our visions of the future do come to pass. The situations we expect to
occur and the experiences we rehearse and dwell on are at least
sometimes reflected back to us as events that confirm our expectations.

Does that mean that our mental projections create the future? Let's
consider that possibility. What if it's at least partially true that what we
expect will happen does tend to materialize?

Well, here's the logical conclusion: It's downright stupid and self-
destructive to keep infecting our imaginations with pictures of loss and
failure, doom and gloom, fear and loathing. The far more sensible
approach is to expect blessings and joy and peace and fulfillment and
understanding and meaningfulness.

And that's the reason why I'm so reverent in composing my messages for
you. If I'm to be one of the influences you invite into the intimate
sanctuary where you nurse your self-fulfilling prophecies, I really want to
be gentle with you. It's why I avoid invoking worry and doubt, and instead
nudge you in the direction of passion, integrity, happiness, and
generosity.

And that's exactly the approach I'd like you to take. I want you to pay
ultimate respect to yourself. Understand your power as a potent prophet
of your own life. Flush away the images running around your imagination
that are not in harmony with your life goals. Create images that
encourage you to be your best. Cultivate feelings and ideas and
imaginations that are in alignment with your highest ideals and deepest
desires.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Activist and author Naomi Klein tells a story
about the time she traveled to Australia at the request of Aboriginal
elders. They wanted her to know about their struggle to prevent white
people from dumping radioactive wastes on their land. Her hosts brought
her to their precious wilderness, where they camped under the stars.
They showed her "secret sources of fresh water, plants used for bush
medicines, hidden eucalyptus-lined rivers where the kangaroos come to
drink." After three days, Klein grew restless. When were they going to get
down to business and show her the despoiled places? "Before you can
fight," one elder told her, "you have to know what you are fighting for."
That's good advice, Cancerian. I suggest you immerse yourself in the
beauty you'll be serving and stewarding in the future.

ciao,
krl

Cashmere

2008-11-21T16:05:00.004-06:00

Don't you just love the soft feel of cashmere?? What? you've never felt it? Well - come on in and just take a look. $245 each, but if you buy two, the 2nd one is 1/2 off.

ciao,
krl

Kuhlman

2008-11-21T15:59:00.002-06:00

So - I'm now working at Kuhlman Company, and have been since the end of August. Currently I am in true like with these new fashion shirts.

what do you think?

ciao,
krl

Real World Astrology

2008-11-15T13:23:00.000-06:00

just this weeks post:

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Every second of your life, your bone marrow
produces 100 trillion molecules of hemoglobin, the stuff that carries
oxygen from your lungs to the rest of you. Meanwhile, every minute, your
immune system begets 10 million lymphocytes, which are key players in
your body's defenses. These are just two examples of the endless marvels
you produce, Cancerian. You are a creator of the first order. You're a
supreme maker and a generative genius. Remember that in the coming
days. It will help you be confident and purposeful as you birth minor
miracles and intimate wonders.

free will 11.5

2008-11-15T13:17:00.002-06:00

Interesting....very similar to the thought of a butterfly causing a hurricane across the world...

+

"The Net of Indra is a profound and subtle metaphor for the structure of
reality. Imagine a vast net; at each crossing point there is a jewel; each
jewel is perfectly clear and reflects all the other jewels in the net, the way
two mirrors placed opposite each other will reflect an image ad infinitum.

"The jewel in this metaphor stands for an individual being, or an individual
consciousness. Every jewel is intimately connected with all other jewels in
the universe, and a change in one jewel means a change, however slight,
in every other jewel."

- Stephen Mitchell, *The Enlightened Mind*

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Dolphins love erotic play, according to the
book *Dolphin Chronicles.* For almost a third of their waking life, they
caress and touch each other. They're ingenious about using their Frisbees,
plastic boats, and rubber balls as sex toys. Gender isn't much of an issue.
There's as much same-sex as opposite-sex cavorting. If you'd like to place
yourself in alignment with cosmic rhythms, Cancerian, you will consider
taking a page from the dolphin Kama Sutra in the coming days.
Remember, the key for them is simply to play freely without any specific
goal. Bliss comes as much from experimenting with creative intimacy as
from driving toward orgasm.

ciao,
krl

catch-up

2008-11-15T13:05:00.002-06:00

Quite a long poetic ramblingpost by Rob Brezsny...though interesting...

+

THIS IS A PERFECT MOMENT
by Rob Brezsny

This is a perfect moment.
It's a perfect moment for many reasons,
but especially because you and I are waking up
from our sleepwalking, thumb-sucking, dumb-clucking collusion
with the masters of illusion and destruction.

Thanks to them,
from whom the painful blessings flow,
we are waking up.

Their wars and tortures,
their crimes against nature,
extinctions of species
and brand new diseases.

Their spying and lying
in the name of the father,
sterilizing seeds and
trademarking water.

Molestations of God,
celebrations of shame,
stealing our dreams and
changing our names.

Their cunning commercials
and blood-sucking hustles,
their endless rehearsals
for the end of the world.

Thanks to them,
from whom the awful teachings flow,
we are waking up.

*

Their painful blessings are cracking open
more and more gashes
in the shrunken and crippled mass hallucination
that is mistakenly called "reality."
And through the fractures,
ripe eternity is flooding in;
news of the soul's true home is pouring in;
our allies from the other side of the veil
are swarming in,
inspiring us to become smarter and wilder
and kinder and trickier.

We are waking up.

As heaven and earth come together,
as the dreamtime and daytime merge,
we register the shockingly exhilarating fact
that we are in charge
of creating a brand new world.
Not in some distant time or faraway place,
but right here and right now.

*

As we stand on this brink,
as we dance on this verge,
we can't let the ruling fools of the dying world
sustain their curses.
We have to rise up
and fight their insane logic;
defy, resist, and prevent their tragic magic;
erupt with our sacred rage and supercharge it.

But overthrowing the living dead is not enough.
Protesting the well-dressed monsters is not enough.
We can't afford to be consumed with our anger;
we can't be obsessed and possessed by their danger.
Our mysterious bodies crave delight and fertility.
Our boisterous imaginations demand fresh tastes of infinity.

In the new world we're gestating,
we need to be suffused
with lusty compassion and ecstatic duty,
ingenious love and insurrectionary beauty.
We've got to be teeming with radical curiosity and reverent pranks,
voracious listening and ferocious thanks.

*

So I'm curious, my fellow creators.
Since you and I are in charge of making a new world
-- not just breaking down the old world --
where do we begin?
What stories do we want at the heart of our experiments?
What questions will be our oracles?

Here's what I say:
In the New World we're creating,
We will ridicule the cult of doom and gloom.
We will embrace the cause of zoom and boom.
We will laugh at the stupidity of evil and hate;
we'll summon the brilliance to praise and create.

No matter how upside-down it all may appear,
we will have no fear
because we know this big secret:
Pronoia is real.
All of creation is conspiring to shower us with blessings.
Life is crazily in love with us --
brazenly and innocently in love with us.

The universe always gives us
exactly what we need,
exactly when we need it.

*

The winds and the tides are on our side,
forever and ever, amen.
The fire and the rain are scheming to steal our impossible pain.
The sun and the moon and the stars
remember our real names,
and our ancestors pray for us while we're dreaming.

We have guardian angels and thousands of teachers,
provocateurs with designs to unleash us,
helpers and saviors we can't even imagine,
brothers and sisters who want us to blossom.

Thanks to them,
from whom the blissful blessings flow,
we are waking up.

The roads they pave us,
the places they save us,
the tomatoes they grow us,
the rivers they flow us.

Their mysterious stories,
and morning glories,
their loaves and fishes,
granting our wishes.

The songs they sing us,
the gifts they bring us,
the secrets they show us,
above and below us.

Thanks to them,
from whom the blissful blessings flow,
we are waking up.

*

Postscript:

I'm allergic to dogma.
I thrive on the riddles.
Any idea I believe, I reserve the right to disbelieve as well.
But more than any other vision I've ever tested,
pronoia describes the way the world actually is.
It's wetter than water,
stronger than death,
and truer than the news.
It smells like cedar smoke in the autumn rain,
and if you close your eyes right now,
you can feel it shimmering
like the aurora borealis
in your organs and muscles.
Its song is your blood's song.

Some people argue that life is strife
and suffering is normal.
Others swear we're born sinful
and only heaven can provide us with the peace
that passes understanding.
But pronoia says that being alive
on the rough green and brown earth
is the highest honor and privilege.
It's an invitation to work wonders
and perform miracles
that aren't possible in any nirvana, promised land, or afterlife.

I'm not exaggerating or indulging in poetic metaphor
when I tell you that we are already living in paradise.
Visualize it if you dare.
The sweet stuff that quenches all of our longing
is not far away in some other time and place.
It's right here and right now.
Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning knew the truth:
"Earth's crammed with heaven."

10.29

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

CANCER (June 21-July 22): "I like the dreams of the future better than
the history of the past," said Thomas Jefferson. It might feel a bit
unnatural to live as if that were your motto, Cancerian, but I hope you'll
try it for a while. Here's the experiment I propose: Whenever you have a
spare moment, visualize a pleasurable and interesting scene you would
like to create for yourself in the future. If a fearful image pops into your
mind as you do that, imagine yourself rolling that image up into a ball and
throwing it into a roaring fire. Meanwhile, any time your attention begins
to wander off in the direction of the old days and old ways, pounce on it
and redirect it into a vision of a fulfillment to come. Halloween costume
suggestion: the person you'll be five years from now.

So - what did I do on Halloween? I worked at Kuhlman till 4, then 5-11 at Barnes & Noble, then headed down to the Dakota for a late night performance of the Atlantis Quartet. The first set they played John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" in its entirety.

good times...

ciao,
krl

well....spit

2008-11-15T12:56:00.002-06:00

Here I had great plans for the month of November. But then life happens, time slips away, and still nothing is done... oh well...

a couple updates from Real World Astrology...just for fun:

10.21

+

"If you're really listening, if you're awake to the poignant beauty of the
world, your heart breaks regularly. In fact, your heart is made to break; its
purpose is to burst open again and again so that it can hold ever-more
wonders." —Andrew Harvey, *The Return of the Mother*

+

CANCER (June 21-July 22): As the stock markets came crashing down, a
different kind of global devastation received scant notice. The World
Conservation Congress revealed that 25 percent of the planet's mammal
species and one out of eight birds are on close to extinction. We're not
just talking about exotic animals in remote hideaways, but rabbits and
deer and cardinals and turtledoves. As you meditate on how to reinvent
yourself in the wake of the financial shifts, Cancerian, please hold a vigil in
your heart for the endangered creatures. The two crises are related, after
all. The greed to turn everything into a means of generating money has
led humans to both despoil nature and risk the crazy gambles that have
savaged the economy. The more you understand that, the better your
intuition will be as you make personal decisions affecting your future
relationship with money.

hitchcock...

2008-10-29T22:29:00.001-05:00

sorry...

2008-10-15T12:19:00.002-05:00

I know it has been a really long time since I posted anything here - and this isn't really going to be a post....but there is one coming up... i promise ;-)

quick catch up on Rob Brezsny...and his very interesting words...

Oct 15:

CHAOS = OPPORTUNITY
"The Reinvention Guide: How Upwardly Mobile Minds Transcend Economic
Downturns" by Elise Lelon
http://tinyurl.com/4wnuft
"However humbled you've been by a layoff, whatever savings you've lost
in your portfolio and regardless of the size of your home's equity value --
you're still the one with all the power. When headlines hammer home what
you cannot control, remind yourself of the one thing you do control: You.
Rise up, opt out, and press refresh. With our economic world in flux, now
is a low-risk opportunity to invest in yourself, do some reinventing, and
finally collect on the raw potential of you. This can be a modest tune-up,
or a head-to-toe overhaul. Either way, there's value in considering how
changing YOU might change everything."

and that...is that...

ciao,
krl

Compline

2008-09-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

pax,
krl

storms

2008-07-11T22:35:00.002-05:00

I grew up in Japan. If a typhoon were approaching Tokyo - I know to expect high winds and rain and not much else. You sit inside, you wait it out - or you go out and get wet. The great thing is that almost all of the windows in the houses we lived in, had these barriers. You couldn't open them from the outside, but from the inside - you'd open the window and then reach to the side of the window to get these full window-size wood or metal "screens" that you would pull out and cover up the opening to the house. Then you could close the window and know that no harm would come to you. People would not be able to get in, and if a storm came through - they would protect your windows from breaking or getting hit with debris.

(I called them screens because they were the same size as the screens and the windows - i guess they may be called storm windows here).

So - typhoons - I can handle.
Snow storms...again, i can handle.

earthquakes...as scary and sudden as they may be...I can handle. There is no anticipation - they just hit.

Thunderstorms, and rain...I'm good with that. When you start getting Severe storm warnings, and tornado watchs...this is when I start to stress out and freak out (but only on the inside.)

tonight was one of those nights. It was HOT and humid all day long. I get to work - Peter Yarrow was doing an instore concert/signing - and he started. Then I started hearing about bad weather and a line of storms coming our way. Now - like I said, rain/thunder...all good things. When I'm asked to leave the store and go downstairs to the storm shelter...this is when I start getting uncomfortable and tonight - I thought I was going to puke a couple times...this is how stressed I get about it. (well, I also hadn't had much to eat today, and it was really hot so that may have contributed some...)

We got the all clear (and Peter Yarrow moved downstairs to the storm shelter and kept on signing books and cds...so cool...) I went back upstairs, had some water...and left work early.

so - off to bed...a good nights sleep will help I know...

ciao -

krl

ps: Peter Yarrow - from Peter, Paul and Mary. and he sounded good for his age...

cleaning house

2008-07-08T13:51:00.003-05:00

I was reminded again today of some content that was on my blog that perhaps isn't for those under the age of 18. As I have a niece (the eldest of my sister's five kids) who is about to turn 13, I was reminded that I should take the time to clean house on this blog.

I have done so.

I have left the photos of Matthew McConaghy because I know that my sister thinks he is attractive so hopefully she'll like them. I have left a couple links to photos that I think are beautiful but have noted that there is a chance of them being nude photos.

I was also told that some comments/explanations on my flickr account aren't very nice...but they are the truth and they are about people who are no longer a part of my life so...work it out.

i love you all...

krl

two new

2008-06-16T16:19:00.002-05:00

I just saw two new videos for artists that I really like.

first up - Morrissey. I know he has a new album coming out I believe in Sept. What I appreciate most is that for being the guy he is, he still surrounds himself with guy guys.

take a look - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElemRKA9r1c

and he still rocks...without really rocking!

The other one is elbow...their new single.

love it!

krl

Tony's!!

2008-06-15T21:56:00.003-05:00

I'm watching the Tony Awards...because I love theatre.

The current cast of RENT was on singing "La Vie Boheme" and who do I see?

my man...Shaun Earl

He toured in the first National Tour of RENT and not only was it a true summer of love and change for me - but I fell...in a total crush on Shaun Earl. He was amazing and friendly and played Angel...like an Angel. I used to sit in the front row and we even had little handmotions to each other (thanks katie)...

love seeing him at the Tony's...

krl

quick notes

2008-05-15T22:45:00.003-05:00

just a few quick notes to get some things out of my mind, onto paper and to remind me to discuss later:

1) self-fulfilling prophecies and decisions - things I do that prevent me from getting what I think I want - my fear of rejection both on stage and in love - leads me to be interested in the unattainable, or the sure-things only.

2) Corum Dei, search for church, and TK moving to SF

3) Why'dya do it - youtube? - LJ only?

4) friends and lack there of - my history of friends, beliefs on friendship etc

off to bed...

ciao,
krl

MN Weather

2008-05-02T23:30:00.001-05:00

Hi -

I actually just did this tonight...which is Friday night, instead of Sat. like I said, but I've been working since 9am so...hopefully you'll cut me some slack ;-)

hope you all had a good day...

ciao,
krl

late night

2008-05-02T14:01:00.003-05:00

So.

Corum Dei is a group that i get together with on somewhat of a weekly basis. Corum Dei means Body of God. We have dinner, hang out, fellowship, community...good stuff. it is building and leading somewhere and I'm sure we will explore the goal sometime over the summer.

anyways - after getting home last night...well...I'll let me tell you:

And today is my nephew's Scott's 10th Birthday!!!

I sent him a hoops and yoyo ecard, along with the link to this:

I hope you enjoy it as much as I think he will enjoy it!

we'll see...

krl

birthday

2008-05-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

My nephew Matthew just had a birthday recently. This is what i posted and sent him.

From what I heard - he liked it a lot, but wanted me to sing next time.

yeah...right ;-)

krl

Seesmic

2008-05-02T13:54:00.002-05:00

There is a new thing out there called Seesmic. it allows you to have video conversations as it were. using a webcam, you can record a mini-podcast and post it. others on seesmic can reply to it, or you can send it as a private post to a specific user. another social-network type thing...and it is quite fun.

the next few posts...will be postings I have made on seesmic.

I have to admit - I had just gotten home from dinner for my Grandma Lunak's b-day and may or may not have had a drink ;-)

krl

coming soon

2008-04-20T22:33:00.000-05:00

I just found out that Criterion is releasing...

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters by Paul Schrader in June. Along with that - they are releasing Patriotism. A film directed and starring Mishima himself. Now...I'm a big fan of the Paul Schrader film - it was another entry for me into the music of Philip Glass, along with the amazing designs of Eiko Ishioka.

I think my entrance into Mishima was - hmmm - probably the David Sylvian song "Forbidden Colours." It got me interested - I believe I read "Confessions of a Mask" and possibly "The Sailor and the Sea." But the film is just so amazing! If you haven't seen it - you need to. After June I'll have a copy available to sell or send/trade you ;-).

woot woot...

krl

body image

2008-04-20T22:31:00.000-05:00

My Measure of Body Apperception


Investment in Appearance	33
Investment in Body Integrity	25

You have low investment in body integrity perception.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Measure of Body Apperception Report.

The best Buying Pet Gifts.

here is some more information about this test.

This report compares you to other men between the ages of 21 and 40 in United States. It analyses you based on each of the two measure of body apperception of the MBA Test (Petronis, V. M., Carver, C. S., Antoni, M. H., & Weiss, S. 2003). The MBA is a measure of the investment in, or dependence on, one's body image as a source of the sense of self-worth. It has two scales, which reflect reliance on physical appearance, and reliance on a sense of body intactness or integrity.

so - reading that it seems that I put more importance on my physical appearance as a source of self-worth then body intactness. In this test I'm quite sure that they don't take body modification into consideration. The modification i have done has lowered my "body integrity" score. I don't think it has increased my "appearance" score at all but who knows.

personality thing

2008-04-20T22:28:00.002-05:00

My Personality


Neuroticism	63
Extraversion	55
Openness to Experience	63
Agreeableness	75
Conscientiousness	34

Mostly your emotions are on an even keel and you do not get depressed easily, however you feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. You tend not to talk much and prefer to let others control the activities of groups. Familiar routines are good, but sometimes you like to spice up your life with a bit of adventure or activity. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up, however there are times when you believe that a certain amount of deception in social relationships is necessary, however you are mostly candid, frank and sincere. People find it moderately easy to relate to you. Mostly you work towards achieving your best, although in some areas you are content just to get the job done.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.

The best Buying Pet Gifts.

This report compares you to other men between the ages of 21 and 40 in United States. It analyses you based on each of the five broad personality domains of the Five-Factor Model (Goldberg, L R. 1999), and the six sub domains at each level.

There is much more information about each of these sections that I'm posting behind cuts. If you're interested - read on.

Neuroticism

Overall Score	63
Anxiety	55
Anger	60
Depression	47
Self-Consciousness	67
Immoderation	77
Vulnerability	49

You are generally calm, although some situations can make you feel anxious or tense. You don't usually get angry too easily but some things can annoy you. Mostly your emotions are on an even keel and you do not get depressed easily. You are sensitive about what others think of you. Your concern about rejection and ridicule cause you to feel shy and uncomfortable around others. You are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Your fears that others will criticize or make fun of you are exaggerated and unrealistic, but your awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. You feel strong cravings and urges that you have difficulty resisting. You tend to prefer short-term pleasures and rewards over long-term consequences. High levels of stress can lead to you feeling panic or confusion, but usually you cope with day to day pressures.

Extraversion

Overall Score	55
Friendliness	66
Gregariousness	56
Assertiveness	25
Activity Level	60
Excitement-Seeking	57
Cheerfulness	57

You generally make friends easily enough although you mostly don't go out of your way to demonstrate positive feelings toward others. You like crowds but sometimes feel overwhelmed by them. Sometimes you feel like you need some privacy and time for yourself. You tend not to talk much and prefer to let others control the activities of groups. You lead a moderately paced life. You like some energetic activities, but also like to relax and take it easy. You enjoy some excitment and risk taking in your life. You have a generally cheerful disposition.

Openness to Experience

Overall Score	63
Imagination	51
Artistic Interests	86
Emotionality	65
Adventurousness	38
Intellect	49
Liberalism	53

You are a moderately imaginative person who enjoys a good balance between the real world and fantasy. You love beauty, both in art and in nature. Sometimes you become easily involved and absorbed in artistic and natural events. Generally you are not considered to be an emotional person, however you are aware of and in touch with your emotions. Familiar routines are good, but sometimes you like to spice up your life with a bit of adventure or activity. You enjoy a certain amount of debate or intellectual thought, but sometimes get bored with too much. You like the security of tradition, but sometimes have a desire to bend the rules and challenge conventional thinking.

Agreeableness

Overall Score	75
Trust	86
Morality	40
Altruism	69
Cooperation	54
Modesty	75
Sympathy	73

You naturally assume that most people are fair, honest, and have good intentions. There are times when you believe that a certain amount of deception in social relationships is necessary, however you are mostly candid, frank and sincere. People find it moderately easy to relate to you. You find helping other people genuinely rewarding and are generally willing to assist those who are in need. You find that doing things for others is a form of self-fulfillment rather than self-sacrifice. You do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important. You do not like to claim that you are better than other people, and generally shy from talking yourself up. You are tenderhearted and compassionate, feeling the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity.

Conscientiousness

Overall Score	34
Self-Efficacy	53
Orderliness	50
Dutifulness	41
Achievement-Striving	46
Self-Discipline	17
Cautiousness	30

You are moderately confident that you can achieve the goals you set yourself. You are a reasonably organized person and like to have a certain amount of routine in your life. Your sense of duty and obligation is average and although you are mostly responsible you can sometimes be unreliable. Mostly you work towards achieving your best, although in some areas you are content just to get the job done. You find yourself procrastinating and show poor follow-through on tasks. Often you fail to complete tasks - even tasks that you want very much to complete. You often say or do the first thing that comes to mind without deliberating alternatives and the probable consequences of those alternatives.

hmm - I think I probably have some rebuttals to what is said - but I'm not going to spend the time. For those of you who do know me in person...or even online...thoughts? comments?

anger

2008-04-16T21:07:00.002-05:00

So, I have no idea what happened nor do I need to know - but recently it seems that every time my parents talk - my dad replys to my mom like she is an idiot - belittling, talking down to her, etc.

Now - I know that sometimes my mom just isn't listening to what is being said but still...

what to do?

I'm watching the "Harry Smith Project: Concert Film" from netflix. It is very interesting but I'm really glad I didn't purchase the box set just for the three or four performances I actually have enjoyed!..and what a grouping of people - David Johanssen, Marianne Faithful, Beck, the McGarrigle sisters, Elvis Costello, Martha Wainwright, Petra Haden, and a whole slew of others.

very interesting.

I also have "summer of '42" out from netflix as well. A classic from what I've heard - and I'm finally taking the time to watch the classics.

sorry I haven't been posting as much...other stuff is taking precedence I guess.

ciao,
krl

New obsession

2008-04-14T23:19:00.001-05:00

This was not the first song from this band that I have heard...but I love it. I think his voice sounds like Peter Gabriel, and I love the build of the song. I also am thinking that Greg Garvey (the lead singer) is cute in a bear-ish/Irish/Once sort of way.

I always seem to find these bands that few people know, and who will probably never tour here to the TC.

oh well...

krl

ps: my dream fantasy tour?...Kylie Minogue with Robbie Williams - I don't care who opens for who.

The Met, The Voice

2008-04-08T22:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I sent to the Met telecast matinee production of Zefferilli's La Boheme. Huge and gorgeous! It was quite fun - and of course the soprano dies in the end and all is sad etc...

However, in the midst of the opera - Mimi sings a line that i don't think I ever heard before - "Winter is unbearable without someone to love." Especially these long winters in MN.

anyways - the next Met production to be telecast is Donizetti's "La Fille de l'Regiment" staring Natalie Dessay. Now - I didn't know of Natalie Dessay until I picked up a recording of Delibe's Lakme - and found out that she is brilliant! Last week i read the Opera News or some other classical music mag - and there was a fairly long article/interview with Natalie. There was a mention of the various DVD's that she is on so...much to my joy, when I got home from the Met - Netflix had delivered "Tales of Hoffman" starring Natalie as Olympia, and also Barbara Hendricks as Antonia (?).

Here is a clip:

Amazing? yes..!!!!!!

After that - I headed out to a Birthday party for my friend Sam...great house right off the Light Rail, bonfire in the back, darts inside...much fun was had.

spent today ( a cool, rainy spring day ) inside watching "Night Watch" had written about it a while back - and like most if not all of his entries, I read and listened and followed. At first netflix sent me the right envelope but inside was the Russian film "Nightwatch" which is AWESOME but I have already seen it. Yesterday - the correct DVD appeared. It is a gorgeous, interesting movie - certainly worth taking a look at and taking the time to read the subtitles and check it out.

Now...I'm watching the DVD from the special version of U2 - The Joshua Tree. It contains a full concert video from July 4, 1987 at the Hippodrome in Paris - from the Joshua Tree tour. It is great! It is the only time I saw U2 as on that tour. There is something about watching them in concert. I am moved by the power and control they have over the audience. Bono is hot - and Larry (the drummer) ...well...i can't say enough about him - absolutely incredible! I will never hear U2 without thinking of my best friend from HS - Darrell. I think we are slowly getting back in touch but...we'll see.

anyways - I should start working on cleaning the house and getting ready for another party tonight - a going away party at my favorite restaurant - Spill The Wine.

pax,
krl

shirts

2008-03-26T22:01:00.005-05:00

well - I didn't give up on posting all my shirt photos - but I did post them on my flickr account. and posted a flickr badge on my blog so...

enjoy ;-)

so - a couple things. I started back on reading Anne Rice. There was a good number of years where I just couldn't pick her up. I could always read her son Christopher. anyways - I started up again. I read the two Christ the Lord books that she has written. they are both really quite good and interesting and they bring a really personal human side out for Jesus.

Easter was recently. I usually watch "Jesus of Montreal" on an annual basis, but not this year. A favorite author of mine (another N.O. author) Poppy Z. Brite on Easter Sunday decided to become a Catholic and be baptized into the Catholic faith.

Her husband/partner/lover recently had this to write. I think it is marvelous and really interesting.

On the other hand.

Recently (from what I hear as nothing was made official) a "benefactor" at ********** deemed it his right and duty as a good Lutheran to force the President of the University to fire an instructor from his job. Why? Was he a poor instructor? Was he not good as his job? Did he do something against the rules of ******? nope - he is gay. That is all - and somehow the "benefactor" decides that instead of looking at all the good this man is doing, the wonderful job he is doing with the students, the work and art that he is doing....instead of perhaps looking at the instructor who has consistently given the females in his class higher grades, instead of looking at the instructor who has told his students in the middle of classtime/online chats that he was drunk or hungover...nope, lets fire the gay man.

It infuriates me
it concerns me
I'm not worried about my position - I have come out to students as they graduate, or after I know them for a while. I don't make a point about my being gay.

I just feel somewhat helpless...

ciao,
krl

my week

2008-03-23T21:22:00.002-05:00

I'm feeling bad that I haven't posted hardly anything in a long time. Last weekend was a stunning, gorgeous weekend. I went out Saturday to the Met Opera HD Telecast of "Peter Grimes." The production was directed by John Doyle who recently was showing on Broadway with Sweeney Todd, and Company. So - anyone want to hazard a guess to what the stage set was?

yep - one big WALL w/ doors and windows. There were portions of the wall that moved foward and back - in fact the whole wall set also moved forward and back - it was amazing! It brought out the tension within the Opera quite easily, but here is the clincher. The ending was just amazing!! The wall disappeared, a bare screen on the back of the stage, the townspeople come on and the sense of relief was stunning.

So - the point was this. Gorgeous sunny weather, not really caring about staying as warm as I should. Monday I decided to go out to a wine bar for a drink and to meet some friends. Of course, what does it do on Monday? Snow...

So - Monday, sitting at the bar between two very attractive guys. Sitting next to one of the other guys - one of the chefs from Spill The Wine - good looking, red-head, looked like he was built! dang...

So - Tuesday, i wake up with a sore throat, a bit achy. I made it through the day and went to "The Drowsy Chaperone" at The Ordway with my friend Michelle. A great, very funny show!! of course, i was chilled all the way through the show, and that didn't change all night. I went in to work on Wed, and told them I was taking Thursday off as a sick day. So - I slept in Thursday, spent the day on the couch - and even now - I feel achy, and a bit of a sore throat. But - it hasn't progressed to anything else. I'm not coughing, puking, or anything else. I may be a touch feverish but...oh well.

so - watched LUSTER (GREAT movie!!!), and the first two discs of Season Two of the Muppet Show (thanks Netflix). I also just finished watching the Busy Berkely box set...he is/was CRAZY!!!! talented! Amazing what he did on film!

so - I also finished reading Christopher Rice's new book, and am still at a bit of a loss as to what to read next.

suggestions?

zoinks

2008-03-12T22:10:00.002-05:00

I do actually have photos of my shirts - but I posted them on flickr and now am trying to find a way to transfer them, or have my flickr photos automatically show up on my blog page.

anyone know how to do this?

anyone?

bueller?

well - I'm going to try something...until them -

here is the link...

shirts!

ciao,
krl

oh my

2008-03-07T15:29:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I actually posted anything.

I'm at work right now and will be at work till 11pm, then again tomorrow am so - hopefully sometime this weekend between organanizing and cleaning my house, doing taxes, and laundry - I will have time to post some shirt photos - I know you've been waiting! ;-)

krl

new ink

2008-03-07T15:23:00.001-06:00

Hey all you great people...

I'm looking at getting new ink and need help with the design.
If you are interested - go to http://www.tristan.icom43.net/quartets/ or grab a copy of T. S. Eliot's Four Quartets.Read all of them (as they are good) but focus on the last one - Little Gidding.

The last five lines:
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one

This is what I want as the basis of my new ink.

If you are inspired - leave me a comment with contact info and we can talk further!

peace -

krl

closing day

2008-03-02T21:54:00.004-06:00

Today was closing day for 'The Fantasticks' up at Masquer's Theatre in Forest Lake. When I got home last night I very quickly made a i-tunes play list of musical theatre songs that I wanted to share on closing day. I was in bed around midnight, and slept till 9 or so. I burned one copy of the play list then ran to Brueggers/Caribou for my usual B-fast (and to take a listen to the CD, just to make sure it all worked, and that it flows - important things).

I found out before I jumped in the shower that my friend Mark was going to be at the show. I got up there and was feeling alright - but I had only had a bagel sandwich and a mocha. I sipped some waters popped a vitamin c drop before hitting stage. Before I walked out I noticed that John Starkey and Megan were both there. 1/2 through Act one - I was getting tingly in my feet, feeling a bit light-headed, warm, thought for sure I was going to be sick. I wasn't - I made it through - got my scarf back on, drank some water and tried to relax. Same thing happened in Act two - but I popped another Vitamin C drop and kept going. I have no idea what that was - but it was NOT fun! It was still a good show, and the shirt below shows you how I felt about the day.

yeah - I'm at home and I still have my scarf on. I have realized that if my neck is cold - I'm cold. And I have a longer neck (or so it seems).
yep - this is the shirt! I love it. I usually pair it with my kilt, but I knew today was not a day for a kilt. Still - got some good comments from my cast (as usual) so - all is good.
one of the highlights of this shirt? French cuffs!!

krl

ps: I'm going to try something tomorrow and post the songs for the CD I burned, the reasons I chose those songs - and see if I can inbed the mp3s so they are down loadable. we'll see how that flys!

a new start

2008-03-02T21:50:00.004-06:00

So - I've lost track of what shirts I've posted and which I haven't so - I'm starting anew. Deal with it - work it out - enjoy!

So - wore this Sat, march 1. in some light it looks more neon I guess - or at least the lighter color really sticks out. what I like most is that the button holes are on a diagonal. It has some good good colors....

krl

Fantastick

2008-02-26T21:27:00.003-06:00

So - after performing the show live and in person for six times so far, and over three weeks of rehearsal...

i'm watching the movie version. i saw it once before -

this is odd. There are some songs in the show that I think are stunning and gorgeous - but as a whole work...I really don't like it, or at least I didn't like it. I rented the movie many years ago and though - ahh...whatever.

My dear friend Steve played El Gallo in a production at Heritage Theatre in White Bear. I went and saw it because he was in it - and still thought it was alright.

Now that I'm doing the show at Masquers Theatre in Forest Lake and am actually in the production, I see how it can have run for as many years as it has/had. I get the show and think it is a lovely work...

the movie on the other hand....I think it helps to know the theatrical version first before seeing the movie. The singing is good, Joel Grey is amazing. I'm noticing a few similarities in the choreography between the movie and the show...which makes me a little sad but - oh well. The music though - after hearing just a piano/harp version - hearing a full orchestration is amazing!!! God bless Jonathan Tunick!!

anyways - come see the show this weekend (our final weekend) then maybe see the movie...

krl

grrr

2008-02-26T12:55:00.001-06:00

When I'm at work and I am busy and can't get stuff done, my boss has always said..."if there is anything I can do to help..."

so - when i ask for help - do I get it?

no -

so really....why bother right? why not just work 100 hours a week, and not put in any overtime because we're not allowed overtime, and not ask for help because I'm not going to get it so...

yeah...

grrrr

two more

2008-02-22T22:53:00.005-06:00

well - I just got home from tonights show. It was certainly a Friday and a first night back after a week of no performance and no brush-up. We did well - there was one spot that was iffy, and some choreography was a bit rough but - over all the two people I had in the house really enjoyed themselves so...all is good.

top of act two I did happen to maim myself - on a pair of clippers. I either jabbed my hand into them, or was jabbed in error - knowing me, I'm going with the first. Luckily it is at the end of the scene I'm in so I go and sit down facing upstage. I saw my hand was bleeding and just kept it still - hoping by the time I needed to turn around it would be clotted a bit. It didn't really but - while putting my scarf on I was able to pull the moleskin off my tattoo and put it on the wound, put my glove on and carry on with the show. After that scene/number I sit back down again so I kept my hand pressed on it - just to make sure it was alright.

I know that no one noticed until I asked for a band-aid after the show was done and I was talking to my peeps.

so - here is the shirt from yesterday, and todays shirt as well.

Yesterdays is similar to the other one that reminds me of the southwest. It does have buttons on it but I just put it on again for the photo and didn't button it. There are little diamonds running down it that just scream south west...and I really like it. The colors are more blue than the other one.
I am sure that I've posted this before - probably during my week of no stripes...so look for it - it is the Kuhlman tag.

by the way - I was just told tonight that my blog is findable by looking for "masquers theatre".

who know...

krl

a few more

2008-02-22T17:30:00.005-06:00

Suprise....there is an awesome design on the shoulder! woot woot. another amazingly comfortable shirt - except it is really static-y, and it is difficult to iron because of the material. but I wear it anyway - how could I not? the buttons are snaps like any good Western shirt!!! and the colort - amazing!

ahhh - this is from 2/16. orange - obvs, with a periwinkle lines and yeah - I just wrote periwinkle. I love the simplicity - and yet the colors make it sparkle.

I think that is all I have for now. I'm sure that I'm missing some somewhere but...it will work out.

have a peaceful eve - I'm off to get ready

krl

way behind

2008-02-22T17:10:00.011-06:00

alright - I'm way behind on posting shirt photos. I haven't had shows all week and so have been busy working on other stuff, catching up on my film watching, my reading o' the blogs, my LJ...

so - here we are. Friday. I have less than an hour before I have to leave to my 6:30 call so...yeah.

For some reason - this shirt reminds of the southwest - maybe it is the colors, perhaps the touch of design in the stripes. I'm not sure - but I bought two shirts that are similar in design, but different in color.

another classic, simple design - and a heaver material so it is warmer than some of the other shrits I have. Blue, with brown/blue stripes. simple, nice

mmm - I really like this shirt. I like the boldness of the lines and the color combo. I don't think much else need be said.

I post two photos of the above shirt. Mainly so you can see how amazing the colors are - but also to make sure you see the collar. It is a very stiff collar that sort of requires the top buttons to be undone - there seems to be some backing behind the buttons from the top button down to about midway on the shirt. It is a good shirt, a little tight so i should lose some weight - and the sleeves seem to be a bit short..hmmm

just a dark blue shirt, with a light blue design on it. the design is similar to the irridescent purple shirt I posted previously - somewhat akin to a fleur de lis. and just to be clear, I am positive I'm wearing a t-shirt under it so - don't freak.

I don't believe I've posted this shirt. the pic is from 2/11. A simple Kuhlman shirt, one color w/ a touch of herringbone design. comfy, yum

woops

2008-02-20T15:14:00.002-06:00

Where did the time go? It seems like I have been focusing on my LJ instead of this. I do have more shirt photos to post - I just need to figure out in what order ;-)

The first weekend of my show went sell. Opening night was packed, and part way through "I Can See It" in the 2nd Act, we blew a circuit breaker. This means that we lost some lights, and the keyboard - our only source of music. hmm... the two guys who were singing just kept right on singing and got a huge round of applause when they were done. I think I fell into a mini-crush on both of them at that time - they were amazing!

the rest of the shows last week (Fri/Sat) were about 45 people each night instead of the 90+ we had VD. My 'rents came and saw the show on Sat night - said it was good, cute, my dad being who he is said it was really good to see me on stage again w/ handshake...funny funny guy.

alright - that is it for now...

ciao,
krl

kylie rocks!

2008-02-18T21:30:00.001-06:00

DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND, VIDEO MAY APPEAR SLOW. IF YOU'RE HAVING PROBLEMS WATCHING A VIDEO, CLICK THE PAUSE BUTTON, WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND THEN SELECT PLAY!

hmmm - what to do?

2008-02-12T22:48:00.003-06:00

Notice anything different???

anyone???

well - I'll give you a hint - I make less noise when I turn my head!

yep - I'm doing a show, and so tonight for dress/make-up rehearsal i took all my ear rings out. I am able to leave the nose-stud in, and the cartilidge ring as they are not visible from stage.

I went to St. Sabrina's and bought some new rings that I thought would be easier to take in and out. And they are - they are curved barbells with beads that screw in to both ends. The problem is that Jake had to do some stretching as well so - one of the piercings is a bit tender. The rings are almost all the same gauge, and they are the same size. Previously they were different sizes so that they looked like they were smaller as you went up the ear - even though the gauge was about the same.

So - after rehearsal, on the way home I thought....do I want to deal with putting them back in today? or should I just leave them out until this weekend's run is done. That would mean I could clean them well, I could put them in on Sunday morning - and if I have problems with the one that was stretched...well - I can just leave those out until the show closes. It is only three weeks so I know they won't close completely...I'll just have to go in and get the rings put back in.

oh well - if it give me another chance to see Jake and spend time at Sabrina's....I'm good with that!

by the by - that is today's shirt. Another classic Kuhlman - lost of colors, stripes to make me look taller (ok, thinner).

krl

shirt fiesta!!

2008-02-10T10:23:00.001-06:00

So - I've been a little busy - too busy to post photos of my recent shirts so - here you go. I wore this Wed, w/ tan pants. Most of the color seems to be red/pink/purple - but there are some earth tones in there that just don't seem to go with black. It of course goes well with jeans - but then what doesn't?

Thursday - I worked all day, had rehearsal that night (and it was starting to get a little snowy). I decided that I would need something that would be spring-ish, and darn it if it didn't just happen to have French Cuffs. So - this green floral is what I wore...to an Applebees in Forest Lake of all places!!! It is a very comfortable shirt - though it is a bit thin and so it isn't the warmest of shirts...but oh well.
Friday - a day off!!! yeah, I took a day off because i had stuff I needed to get done - and I have rehearsal all weekend. So - I grabbed the first shirt that I knew I could just put on w/o ironing. In fact...the point of the shirt is NOT to iron it! The washing instructions tell me that I need to twist it up tight, then tie the shirt in a knot, then throw it in the washer. Like all my Kuhlman shirts - I hang to dry. I like the darkness of it - along with the subtle cross-lines. In this photo it looks dark blue (though sometimes it looks black). The stripes of thread in it are pink, turquoise, light blue then dark blue/purple, then back to pink. You may notice that the edges are frayed - and that is part of the style of the shirt.
This last one is one of the more comfortable shirts - the sleeves are long enough that when they are cuffed they are still at the length i like them (which is probably a bit longer than what I should wear them at). I post two photos so you can see the difference it has in different light. The first photo the colors are very clear, white shirt w/ stripes...purple, blue, pink...but the truth of the shirt shows up a bit more in the second photo...
If you look closely you can see that there are more stripes - or so it looks. The shirt isn't actually white w/ stripes - the whole shirt is striped - as you can see in the close-up below.
ok - bleary morning eyes but whatev...isn't that just amazing? all the different colors that are acutally in the shirt that looks white in some photos - but clearly it isn't white.
The brilliance of Kuhlman -

krl

2/5 = Mardi Gras!!!

2008-02-05T22:36:00.000-06:00

wow...I just got back from rehearsal. I may be messing things up with the director but I can't really tell. She hasn't had any non-rehearsal conversations with me at all, she give me notes and wants to change things because of a mess-up, etc. Very interesting. I know she didn't want to replace the actor I replaced but...

and maybe I shouldn't question every note/change she makes of me but really....

I've had the script for a week. I'm working on the lyrics and the music on a daily basis. I have almost all of the lines down, and the blocking so...if something doesn't work...lets see what the problem is - not just change it!

oh well - enough of that...

today's shirt...

Dark blue, with turquoise, purple, and some other blue-ish varieties in it. I do like the color a lot, I like the face that I don't have to iron it if I don't want - and the way the lines/stripes are various sizes...

oh well - time for bed...

happy Mardi Gras y'all

krl

yikes

2008-02-04T22:39:00.000-06:00

well - I'm home from rehearsal. The two "children" weren't there so it wasn't a full rehearsal, but it was close. I am still having fun, and I've only had the script for one week and I'm pretty much off of it. I realize that the director wants specific things but on top of me still trying to get the specific things down (which really were worked on over the weekend) she is now also giving us new things to do. Darn it!

I'm a little frustrated at the process - but that is mainly my perception so I have to just chill and accept it. I also need to keep working on lines, and music, and dance...

anywho...

here is today's shirt.

I dig it a lot!!! It is amazing how some people will look at it and right away know that something is different - while others take some time before they say..."hey, wait...."

the back is all vertical

alright - look at lines one more time, then bed...

krl

2.2 theatre news...

2008-02-03T20:31:00.000-06:00

'm not sure if you have seen the movie, or the musical 42nd Street. The story is about an actress who is cast in a show, then suddenly is asked to take over the lead role. While there is no Ruby Keeler, Busby Berkeley, or Ginger Rogers (from the film) or even Jerry Orbach (from the stage show) in my life...there is something.

Just over a week ago I was heading out to celebrate a birthday with a friend who is stage managing "The Fantasticks" up at Masquers Theatre in Forest Lake. She was telling me about one of the actors and how it just wasn't working out for him and there wasn't much time left. She thought the producers may have to replace him and was wondering if I knew anyone or if I had any ideas. I asked to see/read a copy of the script to see what the role was. I told her on Sunday (Jan 27) that it looked like a fairly easy role and I could probably do it but I had a friend who would probably be a quicker learn and a better singer for it.

I got a call on Monday from one of the producers of the show. She asked me a few questions about what I had done in the past, if I would be interested, if I could read music. I told her my theatrical resume over the phone, told her I may be interested and that I could read music. She asked if I would be able to come up to Forest Lake and meet with her and the other producer that night. I said yes. I assumed they would want me to meet the director, sing through some songs - and actually see if it was a possibility.

I got up to the location, met with Patty and met the other producer Jan (who I had actually done a show with many years ago - she was in The King and I with me, I had also seen her in Bye, Bye Birdie at Lakeshore). Again they asked me if I knew the show, if I could read music and if I was interested. I said yes and they replied that they were interested in casting me and replacing the current actor. Also...could I stay for rehearsal that night...they had the publicity people in and they needed to take cast photos for the local newspapers. They were also having a full run through so I could learn my blocking...so...

I've been in rehearsal almost every day since then - and when I'm not rehearsing I'm either working, or memorizing lines, music and choreography. The cast has been great and very supportive. I think the director is please with how it is progressing and I'm having a lot of fun.

Monday Jan 28 was my first rehearsal as Bellomy in The Fantasticks at Masquers Theatre in Forest Lake. The show opens on Valentines Day. Life is crazy. I hope to see you there. I know that some of you are performers and have other gigs going on so - if you can't make it on the weekend shows, I understand. We do have a dress rehearsal on Wed. 2/13 if you are NOT able to make it to any other performance.

The write up with ticket info, dates and times is below.

Keith

The Fantasticks Tickets Now on Sale!

Tickets are now on sale for Masquers Theatre's dinner theater production of The Fantasticks, a musical by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt. Performances are at Ironwood Banquet Center (adjacent to Stella's on 97) at 7050 Scandia Trail North in Forest Lake. Show dates are Feb. 14-16, 22-23, 29 and March 1 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 24 and March 2 at 2:00 p.m. Dinner will be seated 1½ hours before the performance. Ticket prices, including dinner, are $25 for adults and $20 for ages 12 and under or 60 and over. Tickets may be purchased online at www.masquerstheatre.org or at The Yellow Bus Children's Shoppe in Forest Lake.

A classic coming-of-age story, The Fantasticks features two meddling matchmaking fathers who scheme to get their children together. Once the couple is united, however, the real drama begins. Featuring the beloved songs, "Try to Remember" and "Soon it's Gonna Rain," the show is a celebration of love – first love, lost love, and, ultimately, true love. The Fantasticks has delighted audiences around the world, including a record-shattering 17,162 performances at the original off-Broadway theater where it played for over 42 years. Whether it's an old favorite or your first time, you won't want to miss this timeless show that's sure to steal your heart.

I'm not everybody

2008-02-03T20:24:00.000-06:00

Here is today's shirt. Another Kuhlman long sleeve t - so comfortable. It is full of funky designs so I had to take a right side/left side shot. The left side has the pocket and in white down the side is says "I'm Not Everybody." again - I thought it very appropriate for me!

the right side also has the same bands of dark gray going down the sleeve, and a strange tribal hand print type thing in red.

I wish they had made more styles in these long-sleeve t's. They are so amazingly comfortable! The biggest difference between this one and the brown one from yesterday is that the sleeves on this are quite a bit longer - I actually think the shirt itself is one size larger but it doesn't seem to hang any longer so...hmmm...it is just the neck area and the sleeves that seem bigger/longer.

krl

play for me

2008-02-02T17:29:00.001-06:00

Play for Me is what the back of my shirt says. It is a long sleeve T from Kuhlman and one of the more comfortable shirts I have owned. I wear it with jeans, or khakis - so I can actually wear it to work with is nice during the spring/fall.

If you haven't noted by now, I'm a huge fan of music. When I saw this shirt I knew it had to be mine. I don't play guitar, but I do like the logo right down the center. I also love that my initials are on the upper left shoulder - I mean - how cool...to buy a shirt that happens to have your initials?
I just got back from a Sat rehearsal - 1--4 is what it was supposed to be. We didn't start until 1:30 or so as they just started all eating when I got there. The rehearsal was actually called for 9am as we were building the set but after being thrown into this show I needed a morning where I could sleep in, and get some stuff done. so...there we are...
more later...

krl

Feb already

2008-02-02T17:14:00.000-06:00

So, I'm going to try this out and see what happens. I just got cast in a musical (which I'll write about later) and so my days and nights are really really busy. At the same time though I'm going to try to post photos on a daily basis showing off my wardrobe.

we'll see how this goes.

This is tan and goes well with brown pants, and jeans however it does have some black in it so I think it is really versatile. It is comfortable as all the Kuhlman shirts are. I don't wear it often as it is a bit understated (and I somewhat like flashy...surprise, surprise)

so - there we are for today.

krl

kuhlman #7

2008-01-19T20:22:00.000-06:00

another favorite of mine. With the weather we've been having (so cold) I thought I would wear something floral in hopes of it making me feel warmer and in hopes of spreading the Spring thoughts to others.

so far, i'm having fun with this and so...even though my week of patterns is officially done, i'm going to keep posting photos of my Kuhlman shirts - just for fun.

krl

Kuhlman #6

2008-01-19T20:20:00.001-06:00

it was a rough morning and so I wasn't able to iron this shirt. However, if you take a look you'll see (up by the shoulders) the pattern - and you'll note that this shirt, like the purple one previously, changes color w/ movement. I like it a lot and to top it off - French Cuffs.

krl

Kuhlman #5

2008-01-17T21:59:00.001-06:00

This is one of the new ones that I bought just for this week. I like the colors alot, and the design...

Kuhlman #4

2008-01-17T21:56:00.001-06:00

Yesterday's shirt - one of my favorites. Good colors, good design

Kuhlman #3

2008-01-17T21:55:00.001-06:00

Tuesday - day 3 of Kuhlman prints only -

Kuhlman #2

2008-01-17T21:51:00.000-06:00

Here is shirt #2 of the week - Monday -

overheard 1/13

2008-01-13T20:12:00.000-06:00

I recently saw Ave. Q at the State Theatre here in the TC. After seeing it, and reading this from "overheard in minneapolis" - I had to share...

Hope He Hasn't Had Any Sausage

Big jolly sweater wearing guy #1 standing up in theatre row: I have to go the bathroom.

Big jolly sweater wearing guy #2: Why don't you just climb over. [the row]

Big jolly sweater wearing guy #1: I would but I think I might toot, so it's up to you guys. No, I think I can make it.

Ave. Q
Overheard by Bad Idea Bear.

krl

kuhlman print #1

2008-01-13T16:33:00.001-06:00

I'm sure that if you have ever met me in person you know that I have a love for a clothing company called Kuhlman Company. I will document the next week in shirts as I'm going to be wearing nothing but Kuhlman shirts but suprisingly for me - no stripes.

enjoy -
krl

White

2008-01-13T15:51:00.000-06:00

Today is Jan 13. From the Writers Almanac I found out that...

It's the birthday of the novelist Edmund White, (books by this author) born in Cincinnati, Ohio (1940). He realized he was gay when he was twelve years old, but he kept trying to blame it on things like his shyness or the fact that his mother was over protective. He came out of the closet to his father, and his father didn't believe him until he hired a private investigator to follow him around. White spent years going to psychoanalysts, trying to cure himself. He said. "I wanted to be normal, to have a wife and kids, not have a lonely old age." He finally came to terms with his sexuality when a new psychotherapist turned out to be gay as well.

He got a job working for Time Life Books, and he wrote fiction on the side. He wrote five novels about contemporary homosexual life, but he couldn't get any of them published. So finally he wrote Forgetting Elena (1973), about a man who wakes up after a party and can't remember who he is. It was the first novel White had written that didn't mention homosexuality, and it got great reviews. The writer Vladimir Nabokov called it the best new novel he'd read in years.

But even though White had had his first success with a novel that didn't address his own sexuality, he decided that if he was going to be a writer, he wanted to write about his own experiences, and so he set out to become the foremost gay novelist in America. His third novel A Boy's Own Story (1982) was the first gay coming of age novel in America, and it became a best-seller in the United States and England. He has gone on to write a series of novels, chronicling the history of gay society in his lifetime, including The Beautiful Room is Empty (1988), The Farewell Symphony (1997), and The Married Man (2000.)

I believe the first book of his I read was "A Boy's Own Story" and liked it quite a bit. I've bought everything he has written since, and have tried to get his complete catalog. It is/was a bit tough as some of his older books have been out of print for a while but...I am working on it. Here is the thing...I've met him twice.

Both times were at "A Brother's Touch" bookstore in Uptown...which is now gone. I believe the first time was a signing of his biography of Jean Genet which was released in '93. At the same time he also released a collection of Genet's works. I first read Genet back in college and was quite fascinated by the gay outlaw writer who seemed to combine the sexual, and the dirty and the religious all together in one thing. Quite interesting work. So - I had purchased both books and had taken them to the reading/signing. He signed the biography "Keith - all my best - Edmund White."

The following year he came out with a collection of essays called "The Burning Library." Again he had a reading/signing at A Brothers Touch. Again I went. I had gotten my labret pierced probably a month before I went. When I got to the table (and by the way, I was probably the youngest guy there for both of these events) he took a look and asked if it was a new piercing. At the time I thought - wow, he remembers me...cool - of course looking back he may have, but the piercing may have looked red and new as well so...who knows. Personally I hold on to the fact that he recognized me from the previous year and remembered me ;-). Again, he signed the book the same way.

they are both treasured items in my library...

ciao,
krl

well...

2008-01-09T22:11:00.001-06:00

I just finished watching "Once" and it is a really nice film. I'm thinking of buying it but...I don't know yet. I may just satisfy my need w/ the sdtk.

going to see Ave. Q tomorrow night with J'andrea and Michelle

finally - something to write about later -

I made mention that I went out to jitters last night to my student worker. I said that I drink alone because I do - and he said, maybe if you had friends you wouldn't - and I realized that it is true. I don't have friends...and I'll write more later about this...

bed - need to be in early so I can leave early so I can possibly do some shopping before the show!
Kuhlman - here I come...

krl

overheard

2008-01-07T20:58:00.000-06:00

Boy Band Sighting At The MOA Today

Thug #1: This outfit is tight, yo!

Thug #2: Word.

Thug #1: What?! You wearin' yo white tee? You ain't tell me that, son! Damn, I would have wore mines too!

Thug #2: Yup.

Thug #1: Hell this don't even go. This buckle don't go with this jacket. Yo, hold my spot. Ima go get my game tight.

Thug #2: Word.

Nordstrom Rack: MOA.
Overheard by Dude in tears at checkout.

I need a translation of that above..I mean - what? The crazy thing is this - the Thugs...are probably two white boys from Eden Prairie or Edina.

My favorite though is this:

He Can Only Work With What He's Got

Twentysomething girl: I've been using "McGuyver" a lot as a verb recently.

Twentysomething guy: I McGuyvered your mom last night!

Twentysomething girl: So, you could only last a half hour and you had to periodically stop for commercial breaks?

Green Mill, Grand Ave
Overheard by So, that's what you did with that paper clip, belt, and pound of bacon!

LOLOLOLOLOL -

went back to work today. The morning went alright but the afternoon sucked. I always seem to be doing work that no one else has to do - and I know that is because I work on a month by month format instead of a semester by semester format. The problem is this - I get the sense that others think I'm somehow slacking because I am putting books away, or dealing with stuff last minute (or so it seems). Perhaps that isn't how it seems to others but there are times that I wish I could have four days working in my office non-stop - and have someone else deal with customers, answering phones, etc - just so I can get some stuff done and off my desk. And it isn't something I can ask someone else to do either.

oh well...hopefully the sales will make up for it and it will all seem good. Of course - I do have one day to take off as paid at some point so...we'll see when that can happen. Probably not until after rush which means the first week of Feb or somesuch.

on a better note - I received a stack of mix-discs from Chas, and one of them has a song I've been wanting for years and have not been able to find the right disc to purchase to get it. so - woot woot. It will probably be on my next b-day disc!

anywho - it is 9pm already, I feel like I just finished eating dinner (which I will be tomorrow as we're open till 8:30pm)...crazy...

krl

sunday

2008-01-06T13:22:00.000-06:00

As is usual for a Sat night - i went out to Jitters. Untypical for Sat though - it wasn't John Starkey i went to see it was Tickle Fight. I've seen them once previously a month or so ago and they were a lot of fun. Nothing much exciting happened - the usual crew came down - Sam, Zacc, etc. The difference is that Shane came down to hang - which made me happy. He is quite fun to hang with...good cooking stories.

oh - and Scotty Devlin came down as well...yum yum yum. He plays guitar and sings great - and he moves so well...

anyways - today, slept in (since I didn't get home till 2 or so), made French Toast, and now am watching "Boys from Brazil." This is a movie from a good number of years ago staring Laurence Olivier, James Mason, and a very young Steve Guttenberg. It is based on a book by Ira Levin who just passed this year. He also wrote "Rosemary's Baby" so that should give you a hint of what its style. So - Steve Guttenberg is living in Paraguay and recognizes Nazi war criminals - including Josef Mengele. He has come across a plot to kill 94 men in the next two years when they turn 65 and passes this information on to Laurence Olivier's character who is an old Jewish man living in Vienna and who is also a Nazi-hunter. What finally comes to pass...well....I'm not sure if I should tell you what happens.

my goal today - besides finishing up some laundry - is to go through the two stacks of magazines I have sitting on my floor and toss them or do something w/ them.

yeah - there we are -

krl

spit

2008-01-04T09:30:00.000-06:00

well, I was trying to see if I could post every day however here it is...Jan 5 and I've only posted once. Maybe the photos in the last/first post can make up for the four missing days. Or perhaps i can be brilliant enough to make it up for my 'audience' of 3? 4? 1?

I went out last night. First Thurs of the night, Jitters, Jazz...

The Atlantis Quartet play the 1st Thursday of each month. They used to play every Thursday and I used to go down and hang with Sara, and Justin. Anyways, I still try to make a point to catch them when ever I can, where ever they play. Sometimes they play a late night gig at the Dakota (awesome) and I do actually try to make it there...even though they don't start playing until 11pm. They have also played at the Uptown Bar (which I haven't been to...a little nervous about that place, not sure why.Anyways - as I was sitting at the bar I thought of the New Year. Quite a few people talk about giving to charity and making it a point to give more as a NY resolution (that would be New Years - not New York resolution...though it is tempting). I usually don't give to charity. If there is a charity around that I believe in, I will do my best to support them in other ways. However, I thought last night of tipping as a form of charity. I usually tip well - depending on the circumstance. At Jitters...or The Times...I almost always tip too much. Now this isn't because I'm made of money - god knows I'm not. I think I started back when my 'rents were giving me grief about wanting to be an actor, and how I should learn to wait tables since that is what actors do. So in that frame of mind, I realized I wanted to support my fellow artist - who happened to be serving me food or drinks at the moment...and so I tip well.
For instance....Patrick (yeah, thats him...cute ain't he) at Jitters...last night I had two cosmos, then he asked if he could buy me a beer or something for the New Year - on the house, the sort of thing that happens on occassion. The only beer I drink there is Blue Moon and I knew they were out so I asked for another Cosmo. End of the night - I get my tab... $20 for two drinks. I give him $40. That extra $20 is a donation to charity right?

anyway - food and drink for thought

krl

New Years Peace

2008-01-01T17:27:00.000-06:00

From the Wilde Roast Cafe blog...

Native African Prayer
For you are one who does not hesitate to respond to our call, you are the cornerstone of peace.

Native American Prayer
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love,
to respect and to be kind to one another,
that we may grow with peace in mind.

Baha’i Prayer
Be a breath of life unto the body of humankind
a dew upon the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Sihk Prayer
Know that we attain God when we love,
and only that victory endures in consequence of which
no one is defeated.

Janist Prayer
Peace and universal love is the essence of all the Gospels.
Forgive do I creatures all,
and let all creatures forgive me.

Muslim Prayer
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe.
Who has created us and made us into tribes and nations
that we may know each other,
not despise each other

Shinto Prayer
We earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away
all the clouds hanging over the tops of the mountains.

Buddhist Prayer for Peace
May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May all beings swiftly attain Buddhahood.

Zoroastrian Prayer
We pray to God that understanding will triumph over ignorance,
that generosity will triumph over indifference,
that trust will triumph over contempt,
and that truth will triumph over falsehood.

Jewish Prayer
Oh come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we will beat our swords into ploughshares
and our spears into pruning hooks.

Hindu Prayer for Peace
Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.

Christian Prayer

Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
Blessed be the Peacemakers,
for they shall be called the Children of God.

While there is something to be said about fireworks on New Years Eve at midnight, I find it distracting. Lying in bed trying to sleep with the boom of fireworks can be difficult. Growing up in Japan, they don't have fireworks - they all go to the Temple on New Years Day, but at midnight they start ringing the temple bell. Every one makes sure the house and streets are clean on New Years day so that the year starts in a good place. There are decorations of bamboo everywhere you go, every one is dressed up in traditional dress...and us Americans would either visit Japanese friends for traditional meals, or we would sit at home eating mochi (pounded rice cakes), drinking tea, eating mikan (seedless small oranges)...sometimes under a kotatsu.

it is a wonderful time all about family and friends instead of getting trashed and drunk.

pax,
krl

NYE

2007-12-31T18:36:00.000-06:00

yep, it is New Years Eve 2007. Am I doing anything tonight?

nope - i'm sitting at home chillin' w/ my cat. Why? no real reason and no real party to go to and don't want to deal with going out and driving home w/ crazy people on the road and have been fighting a cold and have plans for tomorrow so while I'll probably stay up to midnight (unlike last year when my cat woke me up because the fireworks started going off and he got scared) I plan on going to bed very soon after midnight.

how was that for a long run-on sentence. On top of that - I have stuff that I need to go through and get organized before the new year begins so..that is part of what I'll be doing tonight.

my big goal for the new year...

get and stay organized
research and write my thesis before July...

this is on top of the usual - watch what i eat, pay bills first before spending $$, get out and meet new people...ya know.

by the by - get and stay organized means a couple things for me.

1) put stuff away on a regular basis,
2) get my books/cd/dvd loaded into my deliciouslibrary program,
3) go through my cd's and get rid of ones that I don't need/want
4) alpha my library - meaning cd/dvd/books

so - at Trent from PITNB would say..

peace the spork out 2007...

mucho amor
peace love harmony
krl

way cool

2007-12-31T18:11:00.000-06:00

http://www.psfk.com/2007/12/this-makes-us-feel-all-warm-and-fuzzy-google-chat-translation-bots.html

This is WAY COOL!!!!

again - Google leads the way.

krl

pics for today

2007-12-02T16:59:00.000-06:00

I'm just going to post a couple pics today - not much to say or write about so - the photos will have to speak for themselves. They are all taken from one of my favorite sites - Pink is the new blog and they are all of Daniel Radcliffe - mostly from Equus in London...but w/o the nude parts.

enjoy

krl

sorry

2007-11-30T15:49:00.000-06:00

I realize it has been over two weeks since my last post. I have stuff to write about but working two retail jobs during the holiday season sort of makes me want to sit and do nothing when I have free time.

oh well - I will get something down this weekend...for sure...

I'm working on emptying my computers of photos so...I will be posting some photos soon. my own photos I'll put on flickr, but I have others that I have saved from other sites (like Pink is the new blog) and those I will post here...

hope you like -

krl

short overheard

2007-11-14T21:10:00.000-06:00

http://www.overheardinminneapolis.com/

Wiggle Your Nose?

Woman riding the bus, talking into her cell phone to her ex-husband: How am I supposed to pick up our daughter from your house when you know I don't have a car anymore, and my broomstick is out of commission?

7th st.
Overheard by that's a good one.

and my favorite recent...:

Judging Is Fun, That Just Sounds Like Work

Ambiguous gay male to another ambiguous gay male: I don't judge people. I evaluate and provide feedback.

Starbucks Coffee on Ford Parkway
Overheard by That wasn't shallow at all.

not the way...

2007-10-21T00:22:00.001-05:00

Zanner got married. It was a stunning Jewish wedding with a lesbian Rabbi, and amazing buffet of mid-eastern food and a gorgeous desert table. Overall a really good time. yeah, it was a 'darling' wedding but it wasn't as bad as i thought. There were times that I got a little annoyed, but most of the peculiarities in some that others found amusing were so much on display that day.

So - I'm not Jewish. However when I walk into a tent for a wedding and someone hands me a yarmulke...I put the darn thing on! Even if I don't fully understand why, or believe in the reasons, it is the thing to do - when in Rome...etc. It sort of annoyed me that there were those guys who had them in their hands, or didn't even take one. It shows a lack of respect in my eyes - but then I guess I also understand those who see it as uncomfortable to wear...not physically, but socially - if that makes sense. But really, that is between that person and the bride/groom...who i really don't think cared as long as the person was present.

It was one of the best weddings I've been to - it was relaxed w/o being out of place, casual, and over all a really nice experience. but the reason I bring this up is this. After dinner, sitting at a table with all the darlings - we stared talking about when the next time would be that we would all get together. It was tonight! A combined celebration of 1) Kate turning 40, 2) Heather turning 30, 3) Jenny & Bill's 10th' anniversary, and 4) Anthony getting his Masters in Library Science. it was a fun evening (I was an hour late) and we went through 9 bottles of wine. I felt comfortable and yet at the same time I do always feel like a token...the token gay. Now, I'm sure and positive that none of these people think of me as a token....but there are times - especially when they are all going around telling engagement stories. I know that Michelle is going to have one at some point but me? well...

here is the other thing the crossed my mind. big party for these events. True, I also am close to having a Masters...but I'm sure I won't be toasted at any get together. I think I'm also the next one to turn 40...but I know that nothing is going to happen then unless I plan it myself. For the most part, I don't really mind....but there are times that I feel like Carrie from Sex and The City where she complains about being single and having to buy bridal shower gifts, wedding shower gifts, wedding gifts, baby gifts...all this money going to the str8 married people and she is getting nothing in return.

oh well -over all a good night, I saw my first (and probably last) epidsode of "Get Smart" and had a lot of wine...and saw my darling Carise! as well as the newly remodeled place of Dan & Jill.

lovely!

now...I'm off to bed.....tired....a bit toasted.....and yeah....a little horny - oh well...what is new.

ciao,
krl

lame

2007-09-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Setp 22 was my first full day off in 19 days.

yesterday my boss said he was going to take Friday and Monday off because "he just hasn't had any down time."

WTF?

in other news - Sunday is one of the last weddings of The Darlings. Zanner is getting hitched and I'm of two minds about it. While I want to go and celebrate with/for her, I also know that I haven't seen her in months and months, and I probably won't after this either. Michelle and I are the only single ones left of the group, and I know that she still hangs with them outside of the group thing - I don't so....this may be the time to quietly disappear. Not that I haven't disappeared already from their lives - but to somewhat finalize it.

hmmm

we'll see

krl